BWW Reviews: DOKTOR KABOOM at Wash U.

In his persona as Doktor Kaboom, David Epley is a force to be reckoned with. Brandishing an authoritative German accent, he takes on a role that previous generations may associate with Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye the Science Guy, making science entertaining for children of all ages.  His performance in the Edison Theatre this past Saturday (January 29, 2011), as part of their Ovations for Young People Series, was a complete delight, enthralling the youngsters in the crowd with his demonstrations, while keeping the adults amused with his hilarious running commentary.

Doktor Kaboom presented five separate experiments during his one hour show, inviting kids from the audience to take part in three of them.  The first experiment found him trying to fit a water-filled surgical glove into a container that appeared to be too small. However, by lighting a flame inside the jug he was able to show how the glove is essentially pushed into the container by the difference in air pressure. The second experiment brought out a small catapult and a bunch of bananas. This was a very amusing segment as a young volunteer attempted to catch pieces of the succulent fruit in his mouth as the Doktor launched them into the air.

For his third experiment, Doktor Kaboom produced a wheel that could be used in hypnosis, but which he utilized to show how the brain can be tricked. By spinning it in one direction and then having the audience look at his head, he was able to demonstrate how your perception would make it appear that his head was shrinking. He then spun it in the opposite direction to show how his head would appear to be growing.  The fourth bit of business found another enthusiastic youth participating in a chemical reaction.

But, by far, the most entertaining part was the closing piece, which found Doktor Kaboom showing off his homemade air cannon.  A long haired girl from the audience had her tresses blown by his gentle thumping on the bottom as he forced the air out in a stream toward her. He added a little fog from a machine to do a more dramatic trick, and as he backed a good distance away from the girl, he was able to knock a plastic cup off her head. The clearly visible smoke rings produced brought forth a riotous response from the assembled crowd.

Doktor Kaboom provided a very good learning experience, along with the obvious entertainment value one would expect, and my son and I thoroughly enjoyed this playful display.