The Gazillion Bubble Show

Last night I took my friend and his four year old son to see the Gazillion Bubble Show at  New World Stages on 50th Street.  This is, according to their publicity, "the first and only multi-million dollar, high-tech, inter-active, audience participation, scientific, entertainment stage production, created by using the bubble media, fantastic lighting, lasers and incredible bubble special FX!"  It was created by Fan Yang who is a holder of Guinness World Records.  Having seen him in action, I would say he is truly a bubble master.

The show itself is an exploration of everything bubble.  It will make you smile, laugh, and feel like a kid all over again.  And if you have an overly cute child with you as we did, they may get asked to go up onstage and help out.  This only leads to more cute moments in the show, and an inner glow you can usually only find at Disney World.

While mostly a fun show, the pacing of The Gazillion Bubble Show is a little bit slow.  This is due to a couple of factors.  One issue arises while set changes are being done.  To cover, videos are shown on large screens that tell Fan yang's life story and his philosophy of bubbles.  While this is all good information for adults, for a four year old, it has nothing to do with the show.  Even for the adults, the videos could use a little more pizzazz.  Second, this show is about bubbles, and watching Fan Yang make the more complex ones takes time. This, and the overuse of newage music, gives the show it's relaxing pace.  It is peaceful, no doubt, but a four year old is not looking for peace.  He just wants more bubbles.

As we were leaving, my friend said "With a little polish, that could be a great show."  His kid loved it, despite the few moments he found dull.  I would recommend that Fan take a little time to work on the pace of the show to remove those moments when kids get bored and parents have to entertain them.  Adding a second or third bubble blower who could cover when there are set changes or Fan needs a break would be a huge help. 

Overall, this is a show worth seeing, despite its still raw edges.  Fan Yang is interesting to watch, and we all need a break from the hectic world to enjoy the magic of bubbles.  Let Fan Yang take you on his journey to the end of the rainbow. 

Gazillion Bubble Show

NEW WORLD STAGES

340 W. 50th St. NYC, NY

Special Limited Engagement

Feb. 15 - Sept. 02, 2007

tags: gazillion bubble show  fan yang  new world stages  new york city  new york  theater  stage  bubble  gazillion  

links: digg this    del.icio.us    technorati    reddit