On Feb. 21, the Crown Theater will present the show Brain Candy Live! at 7:30 p.m. The show features two entertainment powerhouses, both individually known for their creative pursuits of knowledge: Adam Savage and Michael Stevens. Savage is known for his work on television and Steven’s has made a name for himself with his popular YouTube channel called Vsauce. Together they use the stage, some science and some convenient optical illusions to create a fun evening full of creativity and learning.

Stevens has a background in neuropsychology and a love for performing onstage. When YouTube was invented, it gave him the perfect platform to combine these two passions. The goal of his channel, Vsauce, is to engage people in a fun and comfortable way, like hanging out with friends, he explains. But it all starts with questions that can come from anywhere, even fans. And he truly means any sort of questions. “I especially like the joke ones. I did one on why is it called our bottom if it is in the middle of our body. The question was an entry to talk about how interesting that there are no other animal that have a butt as big in relation to their body as we do,” Stevens said. “One of the leading hypotheses about why we have unique butts is that they are big pieces of muscle we have because we are runners. We don’t have claws, fangs or venom, so the only way to hunt for prey before we had tools was endurance hunting. Even though an antelope can run faster it can’t run longer. You run till it needs to stop and you keep running.”

Despite his YouTube experience interacting with audiences, Brain Candy Live! is inherently different. “On YouTube when I talk, I have all these barriers. I record a video, and all you can do is listen and watch, but for the most part, there is a wall between me and the audience. If I want you to smell something or hear something, the mic can’t pick that up. I’m stuck. But all these things are possible during a live event,” Stevens said.

The combination of Savage and Stevens onstage is electric. Both have entertainment experience and engaging personalities that encourage audience participation. They ramp this up even more by purposefully bringing up audience members to participate in their demonstrations and experiments. The audience participates in nearly every part of the show. This personal touch guarantees that every demonstration, though it may be incredibly complex, is understandable and fun for the whole family. The goal here is to wow and dazzle, but not through magic, through understandable and relatable science.

The show is two hours long and does include an intermissio. The show in Fayetteville is particularly special. It is the world debut of Brain Candy Live! and Stevens’ first experience touring. If everything goes well there is the possibility of another Brain Candy show with a new theme in the future. Tickets range from $99.50 for the VIP to $25. To purchase tickets or for more information visit www.crowncomplexnc.com.