Magic and Science

After a few minutes into the performance, I realized that I had no idea how to communicate what I was about to see.

It’s not unlike watching “Everything Everywhere All at Once” or listening to Tom Waits. How can you even begin to describe the experience? I think it’s normal to equate something with, uh, something else. Like if you enjoy “Neverwhere” by Neil Gaiman and “The Secret History”: by Donna Tartt you’d probably enjoy “The Magicians” by Lev Grossman. But some things just defy context.

This all sounds very lofty and a little pretentious but I think the best art creates a feeling that you haven’t seen or heard or read anything quite like this before. This past weekend I watched something that created a feeling of… well, grasping for straws. It was part magic show, part Sesame Street skit, part pantomime, part performance art.

I was invited to the world premier of Babble Lab, a new show at Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. This is… not a play, not in the traditional sense. Yes, there was a talented actor (Autumn Ness) who plays a scientist… but that’s really where the similarities end.

Over the course of the production, the scientist performs different experiments that take on a life of their own. Through a combination of practical effects and theatrical wizardry letters float around the laboratory, taking on a playful nature including a spirited game of hide and seek. Colors light up the theatre, the screen behind the scientist is put to clever use…

The shows at CTC are meant to be enjoyed by all audiences, with a knowing wink that kids are smarter than most entertainment gives them credit for. I saw this show with a roomful of kids who laughed and marveled with every special effect and clever slight of hand. To them, it was magic.

But I’m adult. I know that every enchanting moment was performed by a talented actor alongside a light and sound crew with perfect timing. But it was still magic. The late Terry Pratchett wrote “It doesn’t stop being magic just because you know how it works” and I can’t think of a better way to describe this production.

This is a wonderful show and if you have kids, particularly young ones, I encourage you to see this. Thank you to Children’s Theatre Company for the invitation and for a magical experience.

Love, Hannah