What, a Rap Guide to Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution

I took my seat in the front row of the Soho Theater. A mature and responsible looking DJ Jamie Simmonds spun beats at a DJ station comprised of hybrid of Mac notebook and what appeared to be turntables on the right side of the stage. As I made myself comfortable in my seat, two not so young women annoyingly strolled in with cocktails wearing summer dresses designed to display their multiple tattoos. I repositioned myself hoping that they would not spill the drinks as they giggled at each other. Obviously, I had not evolved to the point where I found them amusing.

Back to the stage. A photo of Darwin was projected on the left side of the stage and in the middle was the following quote, I believe, from Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species:

Whoever is led to believe that species are mutable will do good service by conscientiously expressing his conviction; for only this can the load of prejudice by which this subject is overwhelmed be removed.

This was my introduction to The Rap Guide to Evolution, a lecture like rap performance with audience interaction created and performed by Baba Brinkman using the history of rap to explain Darwinism.

The production is worthwhile to see and I get using music to explain theories. I was glad to see that it did not sidestep controversial theories such as mankind being descended from Africans and appreciated the audience Q+A at the end of the show and the concept of performance, feedback, and revision.

However, with the popularity of Malcolm Gladwell's books and Freakonomics, I would have preferred perhaps a more academic or social discussion on the topic of Darwinism and Creationism. I can't tell you how I perked up when data tables were projected on the stage.

But I guess that it then would not be theater and what Mr. Brinkman - a rap artist and scholar -  is all about.