Robinson Sisters Teach Science the Painless Way

You’re 5 years old and Mom says you’re going to a show that teaches things. Like, how far away the sun is, why plants are important, what clouds are. . . . If you’re lucky, you think, it won’t last too long and afterward maybe you’ll get to go for ice cream.

Surprise. With trendy original music and lots of silly stuff, “A Musical Almanac,” performed by a twin-sister act called Janet and Judy, manages to make real information palatable to the 4- to 12-year-old set.

Staples of the educational touring circuit, Janet and Judy Robinson, both guitar players with big voices and lots of show-business savvy, perform in public schools year round.

The general public had a chance to see them perform last weekend at Lincoln Junior High School Auditorium in Santa Monica.

Between sibling banter and bouncy songs--with unbouncy titles like “I Like Science & Nature” and “Thank a Plant”--the identical twins take turns pretending to be “guests” on the show: animal expert Dr. Zoolittle, heavy-metal rock star Rocky Road, bill collector Mr. Snitch, Valley girl Candy Gum and an extraterrestrial named Nob.

Both sisters do well (it’s hard to keep track of which twin is which), but Janet’s punk chic Rocky Road, who misunderstood what a rock expert was and said “man” a lot, was the clear audience favorite.

The Almanac Kids (a troupe of children) join the sisters for choruses and help with animal puppets and a few props. The sisters’ professional sophistication isn’t matched by the set--two microphones and a couple of too-modest backdrops depicting objects of nature and the solar system.

Designed to fit in an educational curriculum, the show’s range is necessarily narrow, better suited to a classroom than a general audience setting, but Janet and Judy light up the stage with polished good humor and musical skill, making science and nature a pleasant lesson, indeed.

Weekend performances continue Sunday, 2:30 p.m., at Lakewood High School and on Feb. 21, 2 p.m., at Culver City High School. Tickets: $2 (at Lakewood), $2.50-$3 (at Culver City); (213) 271-6402.