Review: The Birds & The Bees
Picture: Upstairs at Hip Hops Brewers with The Bee Babette (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Dr Kit Prendergast (aka The Bee Babette) has blended skills as an aerialist with expertise in the science of pollination and ‘bee sex’ to create a clever one hour show that really is all about ‘sex science.’
The Birds & The Bees is certainly more engaging than any science lesson I remember from school—and that’s not just because The Bee Babette wore an outfit that was quite unlike anything my teachers were in the habit of wearing. The show is certainly high on factual and science content; Dr Kit really does have degrees in the Arts, and a ‘PhD in bees,” which means that we can all be reassured that the information we picked up from the show can be used to entertain friends and family when conversation starts to wane.
The presentation was engaging, with lots of eye content, great examples, useful images, several nice moments of audience participation, and a salacious style of science communication. The Bee Babette’s aerial work was a skilful demonstration of strength and poise, with excellent response to the music, where I particularly loved the ‘back balancing,’ and moves that had The Bee Babette sitting at the top of the hoop.
Picture: The Bee Babette (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: The Bee Babette (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: Anywhere Festival at the Hip Hops Brewers (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: The Bee Babette (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: One of the science boards used by The Bee Babette (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
I am very impressed that The Bee Babette has found a way to get 40+ people to pay to attend a lecture about bees. Understandable, as The Birds & The Bees really is ‘sexy science’ as entertainment—with a lovely closing message about the importance of native bees. During the 2024 Moreton Bay Anywhere Festival, Dr Kit held two ‘lectures’ in the upstairs room at Hip Hops Brewers, demonstrating what a great venue this is for an afternoon or evening event. For future shows, I suggest that Dr Kit considers improvements such as adding in earlier points for audience participation, possibly including a little more about birds (the show is 90% bee-related), and perhaps having a second piece of aerial or even the addition of burlesque (creating a better balance with the mainly spoken content of the show).
Picture: The Bee Babette interpreting a science paper, as read by members of the audience (image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Audience information: The May 2024 Moreton Bay Anywhere Festival program included only two performances of The Birds & The Bees (25th and 26th May 2024) upstairs at Hip Hop Brewers, 264 South Pine Road, Brendale. Tickets $15. All ages (suggest 12+). Suggestive dialogue, very occasional coarse language, and sexual references. 55 minutes.
The reviewer attended the 25 May 2024 performance.