Baba Brinkman's The Rap Guide to Evolution is one of the most original and provocative one-man shows I've ever seen. Brinkman, a Canadian performance artist with a rarefied pedigree -- he holds a Masters degree in Medieval and Renaissance Literature - explicates Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution in hip-hop fashion, using video projection and the original music of d.j. Mr. Simmonds to buttress his two-hour presentation. Brinkman manages to be informative, captivating and funny all at the same time.
The Rap Guide to Evolution not only pays tribute to Darwin's theories but brings them to life in a fresh way that makes them accessible to a theater audience. Brinkman also skillfully demolishes the "creationist" view of evolution, showing it up for the specious dogma it is.
Brinkman also has a stand-up's humor and timing, which is why his rap arias on such things as National Selection, I'm a [sic] African, Survival of the Fittest and Sexual Selection (to name but a few) come across so cleverly and winningly. Brinkman knows how to involve the audience in his show, encouraging them to sing and chant along with him. Above all his intellect and way with words enable him to make Darwin's theories seem as relevant and important as they were 150 years ago.
The Rap Guide premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009, but Brinkman has not only performed it ever since but recorded it as a cd (litfuse records.com).
