The Mythbusters started busting urban legends with accessible, but procedural science over 10 years ago. Since that time, the show has become a reality television staple that has yet to be measured up to. Now the show’s crew are on tour doing a “Mythbusters: Behind The Myths” stage show, and that show stopped at the Landmark this past Wednesday.
The Mythbusters started busting urban legends with accessible, but procedural science over 10 years ago. Since that time, the show has become a reality television staple that has yet to be measured up to. Now the show’s crew are on tour doing a “Mythbusters: Behind The Myths” stage show, and that show stopped at the Landmark this past Wednesday. From answering viewers’ curiosities, to invoking new ones, to just blowing things up, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have honed their art of entertainment into something that constantly outdoes itself, all while adhering to the rigors of scientific principle.
The show was impossible to compare to anything I had ever seen. The concept was incredible–it was like a magic show, with stagehands, props, gags, and two eccentric (and brilliant) madmen. However, Hyneman and Savage have long been the antithesis to the magic show. Instead of illusion, the duo sought to bring truths to the impressive crowd. They even went so far as to actually deconstruct a common magic trick–lying on a bed of nails–by explaining its scientific reality, rather than the fantastic claims of magicians who had done the trick before; “Eastern training” or “superior focus that causes the skin to somehow become more resistant to puncture.” These explanations are malarkey, as most know, but Savage and co. hoped to explain the truth behind it to the children and young people the event was somewhat geared towards. Seeking truth, rather than merely coming up with a cool explanation, is something that Savage believes cannot be overdone–and I agree with him.
After explaining the basic concept of weight distribution among the nails, and literally hammering it home by smashing a cinderblock atop Savage’s body (while he lay on the nails) with a sledgehammer, Savage remarked on the importance of valuing truth more than seemingly more exciting falsehoods. “In the end, If we can learn a little bit more about the truth, that’s way better,” Savage told the crowd.
Savage is pretty hot for the truth, and he likes to spread his musings on it on his tour blog. On his first-ever visit to Richmond, Savage described the beauty of Monument Avenue–but more interesting was his spotting of the location where a famous Elvis Presley photograph was taken, backstage at the Landmark. He seemed to dig his visit, and even stopped to thrift at a local store (pictured in the blog, would love help identifying it).
The show itself wasn’t “Mythbusters Live,” nor was it a full-on lecture by Savage or Hyneman. It was really silly, but anyone who has followed these silly men and their insane escapades in the search for truth knows that the silliness has never got in the way of actual science. As a stage show, it was well executed. Suspenseful, loud, and a little derivative (can you blame them?), there was even more flash added to this show than on the TV series. So for the little nose-pickers in the crowd who weren’t as enthused about science as their older sisters, there was still fun to be had.
Photo courtesy Adam Savage’s tour blog
I said before that I couldn’t make a comparison, but if I were to, the best comparison I could conjure would be a Penn and Teller show. The focus was on the illusions, myths, and other fun stuff that happens when you search for truth. As with Penn and Teller, they claim no supernatural abilities. However, the Mythbusters took it a step farther and insisted that we question what baffles us, not chalk it up to something we can’t explain. Even the Penn and Teller comparison is ultimately inadequate–if anything, the Mythbusters show was a new and unprecedented display.
Stage experiments can often be awkwardly received, but the enthusiasm the Mythbusters have garnered in the past 10 years made this event work. They demonstrated concepts, told stories, asked questions and even instructed us on how to make your hot water heater explode violently. Of course it was with the obligatory “Don’t try this at home” warning, which they followed with: “But here’s how.” The entertainment value was high, especially for two total geeks on their first stage tour. A huge number of Richmonders showed up, many with what seemed like dozens of excited kids in tow. It’s good to know that the ‘Busters powerful but simple message of seeking the truth could be received with laughter and audience participation, and it’s better to know that so many Virginia parents can get excited about that message.
