Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fringe 2009 - FFA 2 - Schrödinger's Cat Must Die!

"Finally, into the depths of this rather diabolical contraption, we place a cat."

The Pauper's Theater

Schrödinger's Cat Must Die!

Having been booted disgracefully out of the Mad Scientist's Union and having failed thirty-seven times to take over the world, Dr. Ernest Volt has turned his attention to the theory of world domination. Through his Mad Scientist Training Academy he plans to train in a new generation of evil geniuses to succeed where he has failed. However, Dr. Volt's work is constantly hindered by his hapless assistant who wrecks his experiments, derails his inventions, and keeps harassing his cat! From basic motion to quantum mechanics Dr. Volt lays the groundwork for a successful career in the mad sciences. But when his assistant performs a terrible and forbidden experiment on his beloved cat, Dr. Volt decides to end his assistant's interference once and for all. Meanwhile the assistant seeks to destroy his own ultimate nemesis: Schrödinger's Cat.

Physics meets physical theater in this (literally) experimental one-man show where equations become exciting, science becomes simple, and world domination is for everyone. Join Dr. Volt's Mad Scientist Training Academy and unleash your inner evil genius, mayhem guaranteed!


Not sure if he got out still in the green zone, or just tipped over into yellow, but in any case, he had his mad scientist experiment timed out pretty precisely. Problem was, when it concluded, because of the vastness of the Ritz Theater space, and the distance of most of the audience from the stage, it wasn't entirely clear what the guy had succeeded in doing.

Boiling water in a kettle, a soda can, a container of cold water - these were the elements. And it actually may be clearer what was going on if you watch the show's promotional trailer (at the end of this post). It has the advantage of being close up on the action.

In the show's more intimate classroom setting, I think it'll be just fine. And the concept of just what Schrodinger's Cat is, laid out while waiting for the water to boil, was fascinating, and well-explained. So if you're in the mood for a little real science trickery with your entertainment, this may be the show for you.

The Fringe's YouTube page should have the Fringe-For-All clip up in the coming days, so check back there, too.

His website - www.pauperstheater.com

His show page

His video trailer

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