By Kate Paneros
If you’ve ever wondered how many obscure or obsolete words, coupled with a related science demonstration, can be squeezed into 52 minutes, Alphabet of Science has done the maths for you.
It’s 26 – coincidentally perfect for an alphabet-based title. Part vocabulary lesson, part laboratory chaos, the show is presented by Professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge, who would be equally at home on a Broadway stage as they are at the Fringe.
For a kid’s show, the words are hard to digest. Take floccinaucinihilipilification – the act of considering something worthless – which earns its place as the F-word of the show. Or plenisphere, a perfectly formed sphere, demonstrated with plenty of bubbles.
If you’re a crossword-loving parent, you’ll be glad you now know what a yepsen is – the amount of water you can hold in two cupped hands.
This is not a “sit quietly and observe” kind of science class. Expect:
- A fireball (controlled, but impressive)
- A small explosion
- High-pitched sound experiments
- Breakfast cereal being blown enthusiastically across the audience
An on-stage time counts down and keeps the professors on track, adding a gentle sense of urgency as they race the clock. Some of the more obscure vocabulary will likely float past younger audience members, but that didn’t stop a crowd of kids gathering in the aisle hoping to catch a bubble or get squirted with a water pistol. There’s enough fizz, bang and movement to keep even the wriggliest viewers invested.
The professors have an easy rhythm together, leaning into wordplay without making it feel like homework. It’s science for kids who like their learning loud, lively and occasionally airborne, and for adults who don’t mind expanding their own vocabulary along the way.
A fun pick for primary schoolers who enjoy big reactions and even bigger words.
Showing until Sunday 22 March at The Roundhouse, Garden of Unearthly Delights.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
For tickets, go to: adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/the-alphabet-of-awesome-science-af2026
