What would you expect from a show titled Calculus: The Musical ? For the 150 in attendance on February 26, 2014, at Roanoke College the correct answer was “fun!” An irresistible charm emerges from the show’s quirky blend of mathematical puns, fractured history, and just enough calculus to keep it real. But the heart of the show is the music (in summing up, it is integral to the experience).
Calculus songs include The Limit’s All Right sung to The Who’s The Kids Are Alright, Eminem’s Without Me transformed into Without Riemann, and the asymptotically showstopping L’Hopital sung to Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart.
The audience, with students from local high schools and colleges as well as supporters from throughout the Roanoke Valley, gave a big sine (wave) of approval. With a couple of instruments and maximum energy, the two-person troupe from Know Theatre of Cincinnati brought Isaac Newton and the development of calculus to life in the Colket Center Ballroom.
