Off the Top
Closed 1h 20m
Off the Top
77%
77%
(45 Ratings)
Positive
89%
Mixed
9%
Negative
2%
Members say
Clever, Funny, Entertaining, Intelligent, Absorbing

About the Show

Intellectual rapper Baba Brinkman and neuroscientist Dr. Heather Berlin explore the brain basis of improvisation and humor in this live comedy show featuring cutting-edge research and freestyle rhymes.

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Critic Reviews (5)

DC Metro Theater Arts
January 5th, 2017

"Proof positive that opposites not only attract, but can also formulate a fully engaging equation of entertainment and elucidation...The couple’s animated delivery brings a feeling of spontaneity to the memorized sections…They’re both irresistibly charming, enthusiastic, funny, and talented, and smart enough to have figured out a way to integrate their personal lives and professional careers into one terrific show with 'Off the Top.'"
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Broadway Baby
August 27th, 2015
For a previous production

“Combining Berlin’s engaging lecture-esque talks about the brain and its functions, Brinkman’s own freestyle raps, PowerPoint slides and a few guest comics, the loved-up couple craft a wonderful show that is funny, heart-warming and pleasingly educational…Brinkman and Berlin should congratulate themselves on a lovely show that would delight children, adults, theatre-nerds and scientists alike…I left feeling warm, cheerful and enlightened."
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Ed Uncovered
August 17th, 2014
For a previous production

"It may be the best show of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe...Brinkman flexes his considerable rap skills…It’s a near-perfect show…Not only is it massively entertaining, it’s also eye-opening...One does get the sense that this could equally be a science class taught by a comedian, as a comedy gig led by a scientist… You’ll laugh throughout, and keep thinking about it afterwards – 'Off The Top' is a comedy gig that keeps giving long after you’ve left."
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Mumble Comedy
August 18th, 2015
For a previous production

"These guys are incredibly clever and inspiring, and manage to produce an educational, inspiring and wonderfully entertaining show from beginning to end. Baba and Heather had a delightful, bantering rapport between them…The show ends with a rap by Heather herself, and its humor sent you off with a good feeling, adding to a sense of smugness that you’d stumbled across an absolute jewel of a show."
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T
August 29th, 2015
For a previous production

"Their chemistry on stage is fantastic. 'Off The Top' is essentially a humorous lecture and it achieves exactly what it sets out to, entertaining and informing simultaneously. Though asking an audience member to come onstage and rap 15 minutes into a show is risky, it works in this environment, where the goal is to see how the brain works during improvisation...You’ll learn a lot here, with plenty of laughs along the way."
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