The Man in the Lab Coat

“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…’” – Isaac Asimov

The Man in the Lab Coat is the on-stage persona of Ben McKenzie, a cipher allowing pure unadulterated enthusiasm for science to be beamed directly into the faces of his audience. The Man’s goal is straightforward, if not simple: to raise the profile of science in a world where it is taken for granted or misunderstood.

The very literal title illustrates two important themes: that non-scientists like Ben (an “amateur scientician”) can understand scientific ideas, and that just because someone in a lab coat says something is not sufficient reason to believe that it’s true – or even scientific. The name is also indicative of his no-nonsense approach to science communication, avoiding the patronizing and oversimplification too often used in public science discussion. It’s an experiment in exposing a comedy audience to real scientific ideas.

So far, the experiment is going well. The original show, Listen to the Man in the Lab Coat, was directed by comedy veteran Linda Catalano for the 2004 Melbourne Fringe Festival. A whirlwind tour through the history and philosophy of science, Listen also tells the personal story of how science – and his passion for it – touched Ben’s life.

The follow up was Evolutionary: The Man in the Lab Coat Evolved, which narrows its focus and seeks to thoroughly explain the workings of natural selection and evolution. Part comedy lecture, part story-telling exercise, it’s a celebration of the beauty and power of Darwin’s idea and our modern understanding of life’s history. Evolutionary debuted at the 2005 Melbourne Fringe Festival and will also run as part of the 2006 Adelaide Fringe.

Science-ology followed in 2006, opening at the Melbourne Fringe and returning for a season at Comedy @ Trades for the 2007 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. This show heralded a new approach, going on the attack against misrepresentations of science and proving that despite the best efforts of the media, politicians and others, real science is rock and roll – not pop music.

Ben is also available to schools, conferences and anyone who thinks science and comedy could be a winning combination. He has frequently appeared at benefit gigs performing topical science comedy, and can also be seen getting his geek on for Channel 31′s Planet Nerd.