You’ve got to hand it
to him, Louis Pearl aka
Particularly impressive are some of Pearl’s set pieces. With the aid of smoke and helium, he creates volcanoes, rocket ships and a quite mind-blowing flying saucer that spins as it gracefully rises to the top of the Speigeltent.
Pearl blows spheres that he shepherds into the air whilst telling us how he started out creating a bubble-blowing toy and went out on the streets of California to sell it. Soon these single bubbles are combined into shapes. Mickey Mouse, a caterpillar and bubbles giving birth to smaller bubbles inside. We are already oo-ing and ah-ing like its Guy Fawkes night.
From time to time we dip into the physics of what’s going on, but not in any overt way so the kids would realise they were learning. Pearl explains that just about anything can create a bubble, proceeding to demonstrate with a washing up brush, and a length of rope and just using his hands wearing a pair of surgical gloves. More science: the colour of a bubble, apparently, gives away the moment it’s about to burst and Pearl shows us how a dry surface breaks the surface tension, but his soapy sword just divides a bubble into more bubbles. It’s fascinating stuff.
But the heart of this show is the audience interaction, and there’s absolutely no shortage of keen volunteers. Eager hands are trying to touch the ceiling every time someone is called up to help, whether that be simply holding Pearl’s props or literally getting inside one of the bubble creations.
Particularly impressive are some of Pearl’s set pieces. With the aid of smoke and helium, he creates volcanoes, rocket ships and a quite mind-blowing flying saucer that spins as it gracefully rises to the top of the Spiegeltent.
The Amazing Bubbleman title is no hyperbole. Bubble animals, square bubbles, bubbles doing things you can’t believe they should actually do – all received to squeals of delight. If you’ve ever wondered about the bernoulli and venturi effects (or just have kids who like bubbles), this is the show to see.
