Adam Savage spent 14 seasons educating and entertaining fans with “Mythbusters.” Now he’s bringing the wonder and fun of science to the stage with “Brain Candy Live.”
Along with popular YouTube star Michael Stevens, Savage has been touring the country with a two-hour variety show, leaving audiences in awe with breathtaking demonstrations and hilarious performances. Ahead of their stop in Boston this weekend, Savage tells Metro that the extravaganza is a bit like “if your high school science teacher had a Las Vegas budget.”
“It’s like a magic show, but instead of an illusion, what you get is a deeper understanding,” says Savage. “‘Brain Candy’ is our term for the pleasure of learning something new, of seeing something from a new vantage point. We’ve written a show that we hope brings that exact feeling to the audience.”
Since “Brain Candy” combines Savage’s skills as both a scientist and a showman, he couldn’t help but draw comparisons to his experience on the hit Discovery Channel series. Savage admits that “Mythbusters” changed his life and greatly influenced how he presents educational material to fans.
“I am not simply a storyteller or a science communicator, but I’m also a scientist,” Savage says. “Making that show fundamentally altered the way I think and the way I process information and how I take counsel from my own brain.”
He adds, “That is one of the most singular important things that’s ever happened to me and I love the idea that ‘Mythbusters’ gave that to others.”
While the rise of anti-intellectualism has given science a bad rap in some circles, Savage actually has a positive outlook on the future. He points to his “constantly growing” fan base, as well as the rise of popular figures like Neil DeGrasse Tyson, as proof positive that not everyone is turning their backs on education.
“Now we have Bill Nye, we have Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Stephen Hawking is a rock star,” Savage says. “ We have multiple science heroes. We’re in an age where we can tell a joke about Watson and Crick and the female collaborator they muscled out, and people get it. To me, science literacy is increasing all the time.”
If you go:
Nov. 18, 8 p.m., Boch Center Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., $42+, bochcenter.org
