To say The Gazillion Bubble Show is unique is like saying Titanic did well at the box office: not only does it underestimate the show's impact, it totally disregards the "wow" factor -- and The Gazillion Bubble Show is nothing short of one whopping "wow" after another. A wow fest, if you will. The genius behind this amazing production is Fan Yang, a scientist-cum-artist who has elevated the simple soap bubble into a gloriously skilled, albeit ephemeral, performer. And although bubbles have fascinated him since he was a child (born in Vietnam and raised in Yugoslavia), Fan's only been sharing his passion with audiences for the last 20 years.
Suffice it to say, he's maximized his two decades in the public eye by bringing his gift to audiences across the globe, both live and on TV. In the U.S. and Canada alone, he's appeared on the Learning Channel, Nickelodeon, FOX, TNN, Disney-MGM, and BBC Canada. On "The Late Show," David Letterman dubbed him the "Greatest Bubble Artist in the World," and in 1991 Germany voted him "Artist of the Year."
And here's the kicker: he keeps one-upping himself in the Guinness Book of World Records. To date, he's the holder of 12 Guinness records in categories such as "The Biggest Bubble Ever Blown," "The Most Bubbles Within a Bubble," and "The Largest Bubble Wall Ever Created" (156 feet). In addition, last May in Madrid he sent Spanish jaws dropping when he encapsulated 22 people inside a single soap bubble on live television -- talk about your must-see TV!In his current production at Manhattan's New World Stages, Fan, who is used to performing in front of thousands in giant arenas and stadiums, has met the challenge of a much smaller space by focusing on the intimate connection that unfolds when theatergoers are able to catch every fleeting rainbow that appears on each bubble. In addition, his interaction with children from the audience is also magnified, especially when they stand transfixed on the stage, smitten by whatever bubble magic he's in the process of summoning.
Indeed, several points in the show involve youngsters plucked from the audience, all of whom seem more than willing to surrender to Fan and his bubbles. (Worth noting: all the kids who make it to the stage are duly rewarded with Fan's "Ultimate Bubble Toy," a killer bubble-making system, also available for purchase after the performance.)Happily, the show's array of bubble fantasies isn't exclusively for kids. I defy anyone not to get swept away by the rich selection of special effects Fan conjures, from his Rainbow and Spinning Tables -- on which he creates striking bubble carousels and labyrinths -- to a laser light show of epic proportions, to the show's spellbinding grand finale that floods the theatre with wave after wave of light-catching bubbles.
It's during Fan's less spectacular "illusions," however, that his skill is most apparent, as he waves a giant bubble wand above his head in an elegant arch, blows a perfectly square bubble through a narrow tube, forms a wiggling tower of aspic-esque orbs, or deftly flutters his hand to coax a bubble into the proper position. At these moments, the show moves beyond whimsy and into the realm of virtuoso craftsmanship. Who but Fan could orchestrate such a phantasmagorical visual symphony?
Occasionally, of course, there will be uncooperative bubbles, those holdouts that refuse to do his bidding. During these brief and suspenseful moments, he is infinitely patient with his transparent creations, finessing them gently into existence before setting them free to float off into the theater's ether.
In the end, though, you can be certain that Fan Yang will always have his way with the bubbles, secure in the knowledge that he can, after all, make or break them.
Now playing at New World Stages, 340 W. 50th St. Tickets available here, 212-239-6200, or at the New World Stages box office. Visit www.gazillionbubbleshow.com for more information.
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