Field Zoology 101
by Shawn O’Hara
Review by Brian Carroll
46 min | Comedy | 14+, PG
A school bell rings and Dr. Bradley Q. Gooseberry (Shawn O’Hara) enters wearing khaki shorts, golf shirt, sun hat and the world’s most obviously fake mustache, to teach the audience Field Zoology 101. His qualifications include a Ph.D. from the Fort St. John Community College – and Barbecue Joint (where he passed at the head of his class with a strong C, and a minor in marinades.)
For the next five years, he travelled deep into the heart of the Amazon – central processing warehouse in Petaluma, California. There he developed a thorough understanding of rat mating habits and biology (including a level of intimacy which would be a spoiler to reveal).
His next expedition saw him traveling to the Rocky Mountain – Chocolate Factory in Victoria, British Columbia. Let’s just say that the legal status of his time there is a matter of some dispute.
But this is not about Dr. Gooseberry. This is about the audience – listening to Dr. Gooseberry.
Dr. Gooseberry introduces the three main areas of study in field zoology:
- fields,
- zoology, and
- seduction.
As he enlists the aid of an aging overhead projector, the scientific content of the lecture leisurely drifts away from reality, contributing much to the good-hearted laughter of the audience.
For example, the first overhead slide is a hand-drawn, horizontal line. “This is a field – first discovered in 1931 by Sir Arthur Douglas Field.” One day, Sir Field looked at his surroundings and said, “Why not just a bunch of grass?” And a bunch of grass he did.
As for zoology – “Zoology was at one time the most popular area of scientific study, before seeing a sharp downturn in the mid-1980s, when people realized that there are just so many goddamn animals. There are hundreds, if not thousands of animals.”
As for seduction, I’ll let you discover Dr. Gooseberry’s enlightening observations for yourself. Especially the relationship between young adolescent peacocks and Axe body spray. The mind fairly boggles.
Shawn O’Hara’s satirical send-up of every boring nature documentary you were forced to endure in school or university has the audience busting a gut, even after they fail to find a lost and particularly venomous spider in their midst. The spider may not send them into death throes, but O’Hara does send them into throes of laughter.
As Dr. Gooseberry mentions, the show is rated 14+. Parents should expect sexual content, F-bombs, and explicit descriptions of violence and abnormal sexuality. A thorough grounding in “the birds and bees” should be a prerequisite to appreciate and enjoy the meandering between reality and satire.
You may not learn much about zoology, but you’ll find plenty to laugh about.
Field Zoology 101 by Shawn O’Hara is playing at Digital Fringe Vol. 1. Rentals cost $11.99 online. A 10-show pass is $39.99. Rentals include a 3-month streaming period. Visit https://vimeo.com/ondemand/digitalefringevol1/ to rent this show and for the list of all 10 shows.
brianmcarroll 