Ben McKenzie’s short play A Record or an OBE – in which Graeme Garden and Tim Brooke-Taylor of famous British comedy troupe the Goodies try to carry on after Bill Oddie’s (fictional) departure in 1975 – returns for seasons at the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne International Comedy Festival! A Record or an OBE stars Ben as Graeme and Rob Lloyd as Tim, and is directed by Scott Gooding. Tickets are one sale now; check out the Shaolin Punk web site for more information.

While the Lab Coat may be sitting back and relaxing during this year’s Melbourne Fringe, the Man behind the Lab Coat, Ben McKenzie, isn’t resting on his laurels. His new theatre company, Shaolin Punk, is presenting its first production – Ben’s first play, A Record or an OBE. See the Shaolin Punk site for details!

This is a heads up to those of you in Melbourne that this Thursday, June 7, is the premiere of Planet Nerd, a new variety show hosted by Dan Walmsley covering everything geeky, nerdy and interesting – and featuring me! It’s true – geek is chic, nerd is the new cool, and you can dive right in to a whole geeky universe of fun with Planet Nerd! The first episode features one man’s tale of anguish over the iPhone, the Weekly Whedon with Simon Barber, and the real deal with roleplaying conventions in a documentary presented by yours truly, Ben McKenzie, kickin’ it live on location.

Planet Nerd screens at 10pm on Thursdays from June 7 to August 30 on Channel 31 in Melbourne. If you’re not in Melbourne, you can still get a taste by hitting the Planet Nerd web site at http://planetnerd.tv and checking out some of the clips we’ve posted on the Interweb.

Hope you all had a lovely World Environment Day on Tuesday – I spent mine at CERES 25th birthday!

scored a very favourable review in the April issue of the AEU Journal SA (Vol. 38, No. 2):

Evolutionary: The Man in the Lab Coat Evolved
Ben McKenzie

The erudite science communicator serving up their subject with passion and humour has a long and honourable lineage both in and out of the classroom, and Ben McKenzie, aka the Man in the Lab Coat, does not let the side down.

In his Adelaide Fringe show ‘Evolutionary’ downstairs in the Lizard Lounge on Hindley Street, this “amateur scientician” led us through the story of life on Earth, cramming billions of years, into an hour or so.

For him, it is the ultimate ‘Survivor’, where the winning contestants’ kids get to come back for the next episode. He also takes us on excursions into the life of Charles Darwin and the follies of the Creationists in their many mutations.

With a minimum of props – the blackboard, lectern, Cheezels and lab coat – and a warm and spirited delivery, Ben entertained and educated without dumbing down a fascinating and complex subject. And as a bonus, we had a few laughs, and a few humbling insights, on the journey.

Bookmark his web site http://labcoatman.com.au, and catch his next show if you get a chance. Maybe bring your class along.
Jonathan Goodfield