“B — The Underwater Bubble Show” awakened the inner child of many audience members Sunday afternoon at Popejoy Hall.
Mr. B, the main character in this Cirque du Soleil-inspired show, transported the audience to a dreamlike land called Bubblelandia.
Bubblelandia is a parallel universe where Mr. B escapes the pressures of adulthood through exceptional stage effects, bubble tornadoes, troupes of leaping acrobats, contortionists and bubble artists.
Creator, producer, director and bubble artist Enrico Pezzoli said he created the show for his audience to escape the craziness of day-to-day life.
“The idea is to give an hour, hour and a half, of happiness and joy,” Pezzoli said. “We always feel happy, not only me but all the cast, everyone feels happy when we see the audience is enjoying the show. So at the end, for us, is always the best moment when we see everyone standing up and cheering and applauding and coming out, smiling.”
The audience was indeed filled with joy, as laughing children jumped up and down every time a bubble came floating their way. This immense joy seemed to carry over to the adults in the audience as well.
Members of the audience became mesmerized while being immersed in soap and water sculptures created by Pezzoli and another bubble artist, Dace Pecoli.
“They develop bubbles that are different colors and textures,” said Popejoy Marketing Manager Terry Davis. “They’re just populating the stage with something we all love. They’re taking it to easily the next step and beyond to show us not only how fun bubbles can be, but how appealing an art form they can be.”
The bubble artists performed tricks, such as manipulating bubbles to go inside other bubbles and making a bubble from an existing bubble by blowing into it.
“I think it’s magical and very hard to do. You have to respect what they’re doing on the stage,” audience member Lori Horn said.
Fun interactive moments between the performers and the audience created an amusing and unique aspect to the show. During the performance, cast members gave the front row a giant cloth to put over their heads and send it all the way to the back row.
“When the blue cloth came over, you felt like you were actually underwater,” audience member Sarah Walker said.
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“The visual details were the most fascinating to me. From the bubbles to the lights to the sand art, the show was great,” audience member Nick Maler said.
In addition to the visual experience audience members embarked on during the show, there was also a journey through the music.
UNM student Magen Kelly said she loved the original music by Valdis Zilvers, the well-known composer of Latvian theatrical soundtracks.
The stage effects in the show took entertainment to a new level. Laser lights created patterns mimicking water, as fish and other sea creatures swam in the background while bubbles floated up.
“This is a very entertaining show, you do not lose track of your attention. They got you the whole time,” audience member Don Walker said.
“B — the Underwater Bubble Show” ended with cast members throwing giant bubble beach balls into the audience. The aisles were filled with children chasing the bubble balls as they bounced around the theater, and many adults perhaps left feeling like they were kids again.
Amy Byres is a culture reporter with the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @amybyres12.
