I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: December 10, 2016] Doktor Kaboom! The Science of Santa

We loved Doktor Kaboom! when we saw him last (which I didn’t even realize was less than a year ago).  His last show, Live Wire, mixed comedy, science and a hearty dose of believing in yourself.

And so did this one.  Indeed, this show wasn’t radically different from the previous one except that it was all about the magic of Santa Claus.  For as Doktor Kaboom! states: magic is simply science we can’t explain yet.  And in case you are worried about any Santa spoilers, the tagline reads: No iconic Holiday figures were harmed in the making of this show.

For background, the K in Doktor isn’t a zany spelling (thank goodness), it is because the good Doktor is German!  And when he asks you if you understand, you must shout JA!, not yeah or yuh or okay, but JA!

And he likes things to go Kaboom!  Ja?  JA!

Doktor Kaboom! came out with chrome goggles, an orange lab coat, motorcycle boots, and wicked cool hair.  And he prepared us to be amazed by the greatest scientist in the world–himself!  Until he revealed that a fellow scientist said that the greatest scientist in the world was actually Santa.   Because he could do things that science couldn’t explain…yet.

Doktor Kaboom sang a great Science song set to the tune of “Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”  And it was pretty genius.  If only I could remember all the words.

He then told us the three things he planned to show us about Santa.

1. how he gets down the chimney (since he is so big)
2. how he can tell who is naughty or nice
3. how he gets reindeer to fly.

The first bit was plagued by a bit of trouble (but the Doktor is well-equipped to handle malfunctions in a very funny way–in fact C. assumed it was part of the show).  He had a chimney (with a cardboard fireplace) and a balloon Santa who was too big for the chimney.  He showed us how by mixing two chemicals (including a concentrated version of hydrogen peroxide), the heat trying to escape the chimney makes balloon Santa get forced down the chimney.  The fact that the first time he didn’t put Santa back on the chimney quickly enough (and that he’s afraid of heights, so climbing the ladder to put the stuff into the chimney was not his favorite thing to do) made the science even funnier.  And, even funnier still was that Santa’s pants fell off.

And the Doktor is very funny in general–he is filled with mirth.  He joked about science, about Germany (and his bearded assistant–with the comment “German women are so beautiful”).  And his accent. (He told us this joke last time too, but it was still funny this time: English is my sssurd language–I have trouble with my th sound.  Although I could say that with a hard t (it was very funny when one of the kids said it out loud)).

But one thing he did not joke about was safety. And when he had volunteers come on stage he made a big (and yes, okay, often funny) deal about them being safe.

He has a great stage presence–very funny and mildly intimidating.  He very pointedly but politely asked the audience not to use their phones during the show for safety, because it is very distracting to the people next to you, and if they are distracted they may not be able to react when a projectile flies at them.

When he talked about ways to make reindeer fly, he taught us about electrons by using a Van der Graff generator.  True, he did this last time as well, but it’s always fun to see girls with long hair have their hair stand up.  If only T. and her super-fine hair had been chosen, that would have been great!  But this girl was fun too.  She stood on a plastic stool, which was non-conductive, so her hair really stood up.  And when she stepped off the stool we all gasped as the electrons rushed to the stage.

When he brought the girl on stage he asked her if she was smart.  They girl said yes, and the Doktor said he was proud of her for saying that.  He said, too often, when people are asked if they are smart or creative or anything, they just shrug or nod.  But if someone asks you if you are smart you must look them in the eye and shout JA!  It was an excellent piece of advice for everyone.

He also showed us how the electrons repel positive ions by demonstrating with a piece of mylar–it magically stayed in the air–repelled and attracted by the electrons and protons.

To show how Santa could tell if we were naughty or nice, he used a drone.  While it was fun to see the kids react, it wasn’t that exciting of a piece (although we all enjoyed seeing ourselves projected on the screen, I’m sure).  It was rather surprising, though, when he crashed the drone (twice).

But the best thing was his showing other ways that the deer could fly.  He showed us how balloons expel air which propels them forward.  He wondered if maybe he put a balloon on the deer’s backside to make them fly.  But no.

Instead, he had created a homemade hovercraft.  And it actually worked.  It was awesome!  And the kid who volunteered was the luckiest kid around.  I think we all wanted to try it.

There was  great joke at the end where he was going to prove that he was better than Santa by riding his hovercraft using propulsion from the balloons.  And you’ll have to see the show to learn how that turned out.

The show was exciting and funny and very engaging.  T. and C. really enjoyed it and they were good participants.  Unlike the group of young boys who sat behind us.  They were clearly delighted to be half a row form their parents and they were loud and rude–talking and chattering through the show, until I finally had to say something.  Sarah tells me I was quite loud, and she hopes that the kids parents heard me.  I hope so too.

When the show was over (this show was an hour–I feel like the previous show was longer, but I could be wrong), he gave a little goodbye speech.  Hilariously, as he was talking people started putting their coasts on and he said.  Don’t put your coats on yet, I am still talking.  I don’t want to be talking to a room foul of people getting dressed.  He told us to love science and appreciate how smart we all were.

And then, like last time, he told us to visit his website which is doktorkaboom.com spelled out!  Because if you just type in Dr.Kaboom, you get a Canadian clown.  In a heavy German accent: “We despise the Canadian clown.”  Hilarious.  Ja!

According to the Doktor Kaboom site, he has four shows: Live Wire, The Science of Santa, Look Out! Science is Coming and It’s Just Rocket Science.  I’m not exactly sure what other things he can do in a stage show–variations on the same thing I’m sure. But I’d absolutely go to see the other shows, just to see what other ways he can use that leaf blower.

KABOOM!