Review- The Amazing Bubble Man- Lunchbox Productions
17-9-15
By: Meaghan McGurgan
This is not the first time I’ve seen The Amazing Bubble Man. I saw him three years ago on his first tour to Hong Kong. This show was similar to his previous run, but not exactly the same, which I appreciated. Some of the big hits from the last show like “kid inside the bubble” and “kissing the bubble” remained and audience members who saw the show last time and are considering going again will be happy to know the show is bigger, better, and much improved.
The first question Mr. Pearl asks us when he steps on stage is “What do you want to see?” The audience, kids and adults alike scream, “BUBBLES!!!!” We all did our best impression of the yellow fish from Finding Nemo for the next hour, shouting the word “bubbles! bubbles! bubbles!” over and over again much to his delight.
Louis Pearl is joyful on stage and I have to say more charming than I remembered. His stage presence was far better this time and his smile lit up the stage. He was engaging, very sweet with all the kids, handled all bubble mishaps with grace and explained all the tricks well.
My main criticism of the show last time was a very strict “no photo” policy, which I found to be quite silly, because there was so much child interaction in the show and no one selling photos outside the theatre. This time they permitted photos of the show, as long as no flash was used. Parents loved this and it made for a very happy audience. Two thumbs up!
Something that changed this time that I didn’t really like was that the section was removed where he explained the science behind bubbles. I thought it added a lot to the show and personally was my favorite part. I think children’s theatre is a fine balance between education and entertainment. Speaking to Mr. Pearl after the show I found out he’s been doing this show since the 1980’s and has hours of material. He looks at the median age of the audience and gages what to keep and what to put aside, because it’s not possible for him to do the same show and over and over again. (He would get bored and the show would become static.) He saw that the audience for the show I attended yesterday was predominantly kids under 5 and removed the science section. I was sad to see the section go, because certain tricks like the Torcano, the square bubble and the black light section could have really benefitted from a little scientific exploration. I really wanna know why and how the Torcano works!
I think they should also do the performer a huge service and turn the air-conditioning fan down or off for the show. One, it was freezing in the theatre. Two, the air-con hinders many of the tricks and affects the performance. We didn’t need the air-con. Maybe they could put it on full blast for the first 10 minutes of the show, while he’s explaining things about himself and bubbles and then shut it down? The show went much smoother once the fan on the air-conditioner was shut off.
Overall, the Amazing Bubble Man is pretty amazing to watch, especially if you’re a kid. The children were laughing. They were screaming with joy. They were begging to be pulled up on stage... One child was even jumping up and down on his seat. If you’re going without a “tiny human” be prepared to have kids talking over the show, as this is not a typical theatrical production where you sit quietly and watch. You are expected to fully participate; ask questions, smile, laugh and enjoy an evening of bubbly delights.
The Amazing Bubble Man is playing through Sunday. For more information, click here.
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