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Straits Times
13-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Blown away by bubble art at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Graham Maxwell performing during the Flying Bubble Show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh on Aug 5. EDINBURGH, Scotland – It was supposed to be a quiet Monday at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, a time for performers and spectators to catch up on sleep after a busy opening weekend. But in McEwan Hall last week, the atmosphere was riotous. For about an hour, some 400 adults and children were gasping, screaming and laughing as Louis Pearl, the Amazing Bubble Man, encased girls and boys in huge soapy globules, made bubbles levitate and wobble, filled many of the fragile spheres with smoke, and karate-chopped others in half. For the show's finale, Pearl, 68, grabbed a long plastic stick with a ring on one end, dipped it into a vat of soapy formula and waved it above his head so thousands of bubbles drifted over the audience. Children throughout the theatre leapt out of their seats to pop them. Such spectacles are at the heart of bubble art, a performance genre that, for over a decade, has been a growing presence at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the annual arts festival more renowned as a birthplace of hit comedy shows, plays and musicals. In 2025, four bubbleologists, as they like to be called, have shows at the Fringe, which runs through Aug 25. Alongside Pearl's, in which he also cracks jokes while performing tricks, a performer called Ray Bubbles has a show for disabled children and an Ultimate Bubble Show; an act called the Highland Joker has the simply titled Bubble Show; and Maxwell the Bubbleologist has a Flying Bubble Show, largely performed midair. After his gig, Pearl posed for photos with fans and sold bubble-making kits outside the venue. 'Bubbles are like dreams,' he said later in an interview. 'When you blow one, you go out of normal reality and this magical thing captures your attention until – boom! – it pops.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. 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PHOTO: ROBERT ORMEROD/NYTIMES Born in San Francisco, he said his bubble fixation began in the 1970s at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, when a roommate showed him a bubble pipe and they tried out some tricks like filling the bubbles wit h s moke. While working odd jobs after college, Pearl sold toy bubble pipes on the streets of San Francisco . His life changed in 1983, when he saw Tom Noddy, a bubble artist who once appeared on American talk show The Tonight Show, perform at the Exploratorium, a San Francisco science museum. Noddy's tricks included creating a cube-shaped bubble, making smoke spin tornado-like inside a bubble, and blowing piled-up bubbles to form the shape of a goblet. Pearl said he spent 'hours and hours' replicating Noddy's tricks and developing his own. During that time, Pearl recalled, he also had to work out the ideal mixture for bubble blowing. (His current recipe, he said onstage, calls for dish soap, water – and personal lubricant to make the bubbles stretchy.) At 2025's Fringe, Pearl is performing versions of some of Noddy's best stunts. 'In the bubble community, if you present tricks in a new way, it's cool,' Pearl said. 'If you steal, it's not.' Louis Pearl encases Leon Fort, 12, in huge soapy globules during a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. PHOTO: ROBERT ORMEROD/NYTIMES When Pearl first took his Amazing Bubble Man act to the Fringe in 2007, he played a 100-seat venue. Now, he is in an over-1,000-capacity hall, although he said a full house could be disastrous, in part because the heat generated by larger crowds creates air currents that make it harder to control the bubbles. Yet, he is up against an even bigger challenge in 2025. For the first time, the most-hyped bubble act at the festival is not his, but The Flying Bubble Show, in which Maxwell the Bubbleologist blows hundreds of the iridescent orbs while flying on a harness around a circus tent. The spectacle's performer, Graham Maxwell, 32, said in an interview he had been putting on traditional bubble shows around the world for about a decade when, in 2024, he had a 'vision'. He pictured himself suspended midair while using taiji movements to make bubbles levitate, bulge and spin. That inspired him to train in a circus tent in Goa, India, where he learnt how to use a wired harness. Graham Maxwell creates elongated bubbles while swooping over the crowd during the Flying Bubble Show. PHOTO: ROBERT ORMEROD/NYTIMES Last week, Maxwell performed his flying show to an audience of about 500. Whereas the mood in the hall for Pearl's performance was raucous, for Maxwell's, it was awestruck. As graceful classical music played, Maxwell – wearing a top hat and billowing velvet shirt – swooped overhead as the audience sat around a circular stage. Trailing behind him were elongated bubbles that he created by blowing through his soapy fingers or using ropes he had dipped in bubble-making fluid. During the hour-long show, he juggled bubbles midair, tried to create 'the biggest bubble ever' and performed his bubble-levitating trick. 'Bubbles, it's such a lovely word,' he said at one point. 'You can't ever say it without smiling.' NYTIMES
Scotsman
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Fringe debut for The Flying Bubble Show promises wonder, awe and uplift for all ages
This August, a unique new family production is set to float into the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Flying Bubble Show, created and performed by Maxwell the Bubbleologist, will run from the 2nd to the 23rd August (excluding the 12th of August) at the Underbelly Circus Hub – The Beauty, with daily performances at 3.10pm. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nominated for Best Family Show at the 2024 Brighton Fringe, The Flying Bubble Show combines bubble artistry, aerial choreography, live storytelling and sensory theatre to create a fully immersive experience. Audiences can expect a visual feast that appeals to all ages, blending physical spectacle with emotional depth. At the heart of the show is Maxwell's personal journey, beginning in South Africa where he grew up surrounded by the magic of fringe festivals. Drawing from real-life events, the performance explores themes of curiosity, perseverance and discovering joy in unexpected places. His story is told through soaring movement, dynamic lighting, music and thousands of shimmering bubbles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is Maxwell's first Edinburgh Fringe appearance, though he has already performed to captivated audiences across Europe, India, Australia and the United States. His mastery of bubble science and performance art has evolved into a truly international career that bridges circus, theatre and education. (c) TILDA JEAN The production is designed to resonate with children and adults alike. While young audiences are drawn into the fantastical visuals and physical comedy, older viewers connect with the show's deeper emotional moments and artistic craftsmanship. Maxwell's path to performance was anything but direct. After leaving South Africa at 18 with limited resources, he travelled through the UK, Ireland and the US working a range of jobs and gradually discovering his talent for engaging children and manipulating bubbles. A last-minute booking for a birthday party in London marked the unexpected start of a new chapter. From local parties and park performances to international bookings and sell-out festival shows, Maxwell's work has developed into a powerful, multifaceted theatrical experience. His performances now incorporate aerial acrobatics, storytelling and sound design, along with a strong sense of purpose. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In addition to his live shows, Maxwell has also pioneered the world's first Soap Bubble Planetarium, a dome-based projection experience that takes audiences inside the physics and beauty of bubbles through filmed footage and immersive light play. The Flying Bubble Show is suitable for families, school groups and anyone looking to rediscover their sense of wonder. With a run throughout August and a captivating blend of science, emotion and performance, it is expected to be a standout production in this year's family programme. The Flying Bubble show will be at the Underbelly Circus Hub The Beauty at 3.10pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to
Scotsman
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Flying Bubble Show brings aerial bubble magic to Edinburgh Fringe
This August, The Flying Bubble Show makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut at the Underbelly Circus Hub, running from the 2nd to the 23rd (excluding the 12th). Nominated for Best Family Show at Brighton Fringe 2024, the production blends bubble artistry, aerial performance, storytelling and sensory theatre into a visually captivating and emotionally rich experience. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Created and performed by Maxwell the Bubbleologist, the show is inspired by his own journey—from growing up in Grahamstown, South Africa, enchanted by local arts festivals, to discovering his calling as a performer through an unexpected career in bubble entertainment. Using giant bubbles, aerial choreography and immersive lighting, Maxwell invites audiences into a surreal dreamscape filled with curiosity, wonder and personal discovery. What sets The Flying Bubble Show apart is its unique mix of science and emotion. Maxwell's deep understanding of bubble physics allows him to create moments of awe as bubbles float, twist and reflect light in impossible ways. The performance is designed to engage both children and adults, combining gentle humour with thoughtful storytelling. Moments of playful improvisation sit alongside scenes of quiet reflection, giving the show broad intergenerational appeal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While entertaining, the show also explores themes of perseverance and transformation. Maxwell's story—leaving home with just £100, working odd jobs across Europe, and eventually discovering the power of performance—adds depth to a spectacle that's as heartfelt as it is visually stunning. The Flying Bubble Show is set to be one of the Fringe's standout family events this year. The Flying Bubble show will be at the Underbelly Circus Hub The Beauty at 3.10pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to
