Bloop!

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The puppets in Bloop!, from director Pep Bou (Spain) are bubbles! The two characters blow thousands of them - some with smoke or something in them, some looking like suds, some large enough to envelope the actors, all beautifully lit.

Our man stage left is referred to in the program as an “alchemist”; he may as well be a hippie - lots of hair, a beard. The gentleman right is a business type, bald, wearing a hat, often on the phone. They each have a small table, but otherwise the stage, with its black back wall, is bare. They vocalize but never speak. Our hippie friend intrudes on the businessman’s space with his annoying bubbles, but during the course of the play teaches him how to enjoy life - it’s not long before they’re both blowing pipes and waving wands.

This unsubstantial premise is so well exploited that the play is absolutely delightful - we don’t stop enjoying it for a minute. The actors wordless expression of the characters evolving relationship relationship is meticulous acting. Their timing is flawless; their physical lives are exemplary expressions of joy.
The play ends with the puppeteers recruiting a young girl from the audience and then enfolding the three of them in a huge bubble. The whole show is wonderful, a paradise of optimism! Hurray for Bloop!

 - Steve Capra
September 2019

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