When you’re a child, you tend to be amazed by the small things in life. One of these majestic wonders is bubbles. The Gazillion Bubble Show, an off-Broadway performance art piece, is not just delightful for children, but for adults as well.
Fan Yang, a bubble scientist who has traveled the world showcasing his fragile magic for two decades, created the show. His wife, Ana, who is “the world’s greatest female bubble artist,” also performs around the globe. At the beginning of the show, a slideshow (one of many) played above the audience that told the story of how the two met and the show began. Ana was born in Vietnam at the start of the war, and, after moving from her home country, met Fan. She said she was mesmerized by his art and started to participate. At one point, she told the audience that while her husband taught her how to make beautiful bubbles, he didn’t teach her much English (and to excuse her if anything was lost in translation).
The show’s opener, where Ana created bubbles of all shapes and sizes, wasn’t too impressive. However, as the show progressed it got more interesting, and at times, it was hard to keep my eyes off the stage. My mouth was wide open and I was “ooing” and “ahhing” during the high points of the show.
The highlights of the Gazillion Bubble Show were when the audience’s perception of how bubbles can be formed was flexed. At one point, Ana blew two large bubbles and then formed a bunch of small ones around it, making them spin. She also blew into bigger bubbles and made small bubbles inside of them. She dipped her hand into the liquid, created an “o” shape with her pointer finger and thumb, and blew bubbles out of it. Smoke was also used throughout the show, adding to the spectacle.
Ana holds the world record for fitting the most people into a bubble, 26, and during the show, she fit four children into one. I would have never guessed that people could actually go into bubbles, so it was a wonderful sight.
Towards the end of the show, Ana brought a little girl onto the stage who was turning seven that day, and had her close her eyes while she told a story about missing her niece in Vietnam. In the story, Ana told her niece to shut her eyes and imagine snow. The stage went dark, and the little girl stood in the middle of it. Over the loudspeaker, Ana said, “now, open your eyes!” and the lights shone on the audience as seemingly a gazillion tiny bubbles floated around. The audience, which was mostly comprised of three to ten-year-old kids, went wild, and I couldn’t stop giggling.
Although the Gazillion Bubble Show had a weak start, and annoying techno and new wave music with corny slideshows about childhood dreams was used throughout, it was overall an enjoyable act for all ages. I was smiling almost the whole time and was brought back to a place in my life where bubbles were one of the only things that mattered. And, despite the sappiness of the slideshows that compared bubbles to childhood fantasies and acceptance of others, Ana’s message is a pure one for children, which makes her endearing. Her funny facial expressions and huge smile only furthered her sweetness.
You don’t have to be a certain age to see and be entertained by the Gazillion Bubble Show. All you need is to open up your childhood imagination again, and be amazed by the little wonders that surround you.
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The Gazillion Bubble Show is playing at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street Between 8th and 9th Avenues. Showtimes are at Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sundays at 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Tickets are $41.50, $61.50, and $86.50 for VIP seating.
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