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“Bubbleknowledgist” Keith Johnson bringing show to island
The acclaimed showman will present two programs for NES students that day, then host a special, free family night event at 7 p.m. in the gym co-sponsored by the Atheneum and Friends of Nantucket Public Schools. In this, Johnson’s second local appearance through the library, he will surely mesmerize young and old with the newest, wildest theatrics of his 23-year career bringing humor-based educational programs to assemblies and gatherings in his home state of Rhode Island and across Connecticut and Massachusetts. “I like to be home for dinner,” he joked about choosing a limited performance territory. Calling the bubble show “unbelievable,” he said it presents a range from tiny balls to bathtubsize globes to glistening ovals that can encase a whole person. “Adults enjoy it as much if not more than the kids do. With the tricks and demonstrations, kids think anything is possible so they think it’s wild and fun, but adults have so much experience in their lives that when they see it, it’s magic.” The program, a mix of science and art, lasts about an hour and begins with sculptures. Johnson said it is very surprising for the audience to witness three bubbles stacked up that are infused with “white fog” making them resemble a snowman. “It dances around and then flies up and pops on the ceiling,” he revealed. “I do a series of sculptures to give kids an understanding of how bubbles work. I had to learn a lot about science before I could use my imagination as to what I could do with them.” Noting that bubbles are part of everyday life, such as when people brush their teeth, drink soda or experience personal bubbles “that make you pop in a couple of different ways,” he explained that his shows concentrate on soap bubbles that have curious ways of behaving. This incredibly popular aspect of his repertoire evolved from another educational program he was developing about weather. “I am a math and science guy. That’s what I’m interested in,” said Johnson, who graduated from the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Clown College and Roger Williams University and studied theater in London. “I was writing a program about the weather and needed a bubble that would last more than 30 seconds to use as an example of the atmosphere surrounding our earth. No commercial solutions would work, so I researched how to make what I needed and found interesting demonstrations. “When I started the bubbles I kept experimenting because I found them so personally interesting and surprising and unlike anything I’d seen. I thought I should put a show together.” Johnson performs between 250 to 300 programs a year for tens of thousands of children, and loves every chance to intrigue his audiences with the wonders of science they can practice in their own lives. For example, he explained that if a child’s wading pool is filled with soapy water (he recommends San Yang bubbles at Target stores at $9 per half-gallon with a big blower) and a person stands in the center on a dry, elevated platform, when a hula-hoop is dipped into the solution and raised over the participant he or she will become enveloped within a soap film tube. When the hoop is lifted above the person’s head and twisted, it will close the bubble at the top, encasing the person inside. There is no danger involved, as the bubble contains plenty of air and will not last too long, anyway, said Johnson. “I’ve become an expert at something that is fairly obscure,” he said. “I’ve become a consultant to people from San Diego to Latvia. People can tell I’m really enjoying being there [at performances] showing them how bubbles work and what we can do with them.” To have a preview of the types of tricks coming up at island performances, visit bubbleartist.com, a Web site that includes videos. I |
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