With the right crowd, any show can be a smash. It doesn’t matter if it’s sketch comedy, Flamenco dancing, chocolate-faced clowning around or even age-of-the-apocalypse drama– attract the right people, and you’ll have a hit. Tuesday night at the Bell House, Doctor Who fans were out in force. Courtesy of BBC America and Secret Formula, followers of the iconic show were treated to not one but two premiere episodes from the sci-fi cornerstone’s new season.
Festive cocktails, British cuisine, trivia, costume contests and even a lecture by a Time Travel Physicist were all part of the show; icing on a the double-decker cake that was The Impossible Astronaut and Day of the Moon. (A welcome touch was the moment of silence for Doctor Who alumnus Elisabeth Sladen, who passed away that same day.)
EnWhosiasts (enthusiasts kids if you can’t work out the pun) packed the house, many sporting tweed jackets and bow ties, many more wearing Doctor Who t-shirts, and a handful even had Stetson hats or fezzes. The costume contest attracted six Doctors, two companions (both Amy Ponds), a Dalek and Weeping Angel. Physicist Michio Kaku did a surprisingly good job of captivating the audience, mixing invisible time-traveler theories with quotes from Woody Allen and self-deprecating jokes. “It’s true I made the Hundred Smartest New Yorkers list,” said Kaku. “Although to be fair, so did Madonna.”
The audience was treated to live-action sparring of foils and wits between the 3rd Doctor and the Master (played by Frank Todaro and Daniel Reiser, respectively). This was a brief but charming prelude to the main event.
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