COMEDY

This Californian comic with a PhD is suave and sophisticated, with his harp dress sense and announcer voice. He delivers an hour of intellectual humour, resulting in us feeling simultaneously entertained and educated.

We are enlightened as Lee transforms complex theories into simplified allegories that we are familiar with – ideal for anyone who enjoys geek humour. Making science accessible, Lee compares Marx’s Value Theory to the difference between Pamela Anderson and Joan Rivers; Scalars and Vectors are explored via Lindsey Lohan’s drug stash, Louis Walsh and a bomb; and Enzyme Cascade is explained as a bad date which results in an accumulation of bad references. The creationism -v- evolution rap raises many laughs, and constant references to social media also resonate with the audience.

Lee is a natural on stage with his scripted comedy, however I’d like to see him challenge himself to more audience interaction. Lee has achieved an excellent show in this pop-culture-meets-science performance, however the funniest parts were when he ad libbed from his script (or feigned this) and we actually heard about Lee, about his neuroses and thoughts and anecdotes. More personalisation from Lee and from the audience would easily lift this show to a 5-star performance. A polished, well-executed, sharp celebration of intellectual funny that will make you truly believe that science can be fun. Lee is electric on stage as he captures his audience immediately, with diagrams, graphs, screen presentations and props that you will remember long after the Fest is over.

JFS