Brainiac Live! at Garrick Theatre

Brainiac Live! is loud, full of explosions and guaranteed to entertain young children. A live spin-off of the Sky One series Brainiac: Science Abuse, presented by Richard Hammond, the production staged at the Garrick Theatre stays true to its predecessor demonstrating science experiments in a fun and engaging way for a young audience.

Running as an hour-long presentation, Brainiac Live! features four performers (Andy Joyce, Gareth Leighton, Rik Warren and Maggie Frazer) who showcase live experiments one after the other to the audience. We witness actors running through plaster wall, playing with liquid nitrogen, attaching rockets to an office chair and explosions galore. In between each experiment, spectators are encouraged to participate in certain events, such as a sound frequency test, while the cast set up for their next big bang. The piece certainly achieves its goal in engagement and immersion. The theatre is alive with excited, screaming children enjoying the science magic show in front of them. With exceptional efforts to maintain attention for an hour, the performers must be commended for their unwavering energy and commitment to fun. However, after all the participation and the smoke has faded, so does the remembrance of the scientific facts of the presented experiments.

Despite the production’s entertainment value, the explanation of experiments is spoken at such a fast rate by actors; it proves difficult to hear as well as comprehend what causes the explosions on stage. Furthermore, with so many activities thrown together in such a short amount of time, the space to process knowledge is forsaken entirely. However, that being said, there isn’t a doubt that science is presented as thrilling and may even inspire children in the audience to pursue it later on in school. Despite perhaps lacking a strict learning experience, the performance still establishes its possibility to inspire the next generation.

Brainiac Live! Is an event for families with a simple concept that doesn’t push past the TV show’s old formula. It is a fun experience for those not afraid of loud noises and exploding microwaves.

Emma-Jane Betts
Photo: Anna Kucera

Brainiac Live! is at Garrick Theatre from 31^st July until 1^st September 2019. Book your tickets here.

Watch the trailer for Brainiac Live! here: