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Comedy For the Curious
The Pear Tree Main Room
Producer: Robyn Perkins
Reviewer: Mark Ritchie
FOUR STAR REVIEW ****

Now this would make a great television comedy panel show, with a science twist!
Comedy For the Curious features three stand-up comedians, an illustrated visual pitch and a set of very good ideas. All of which is fronted by a garrulous and fast on her feet American woman, Robyn Perkins.
It is Perkins herself who gets the ball bowling, with her initial aim being pitched at discovering how many of her audience members have an interest in science. Different brain functions and fears are explored every night, but on the evening when I joined the curious queue waiting to enter what is a great room to present comedy in, the theme was very much focussed on knowledge of why human beings functions the way we do. Robyn explains: ‘Fans of science are often referred to as Scientists- People who don’t like or comprehend science are referred to as unvaccinated’.
There appears to be no off switch to Ms Perkins, who regaled us with an experience she had as a teenager, where she did not spot the potential danger she was apparently placing herself in, whilst finding herself ensconced with a strange man in a cellar somewhere in Italy. This show then explains with the aid of caricatured sketches (apparently penned by Robyn herself) why and how the brain decides this way or that on the multitude of decisions we take as humans every day.
This whole show was launched during the first Covid lockdown as an online offering and it quickly garnered a devoted following. There is a danger that such shows could be perceived as ‘preachy’, Comedy For the Curious does not fall into this show business bear-trap and the mode of presentation makes the show accessible and great fun. Thanks to Robyn Perkins I now understand all about a tiny component of the human brain called Amygdala. Ain’t I the Lucky One!
The three performers end the show by taking their audience on in a comedy panel show, where a Q&A is fired out, with audience members pitting our wits against the comedian/panellists.
Joined on this night by comedians Dave Chawner and Alex Farrow, the show hit the spot for both Fringe devotees and quite a few who were hitching the Comedy For the Curious flag up for the first time and seeing if they wanted to salute the science. They did. At this performance, the audience saluted, clapped, whooped, hollered and probably learned a thing or two. I know I did!