“The
Bubbler”
A
Truly Lackluster Street Performance
Thomissa
Comellas
Although he refused to give me his
name, demanding money for the privilege, “the Bubbler” may be recognized in the
future as a far-below-par street performer in his mid thirties. I was not the only spectator who stopped
hopefully in Niewmarkt when the bespectacled Bubbler pedaled into the Chinese district
square and blew up a teal kiddie pool. I
was, however one of few spectators who remained engaged in the street
performance for an appreciable amount of time.
Onlookers and passersby ranged from children with parents to
skateboarding teenagers to elderly tourists, a typical amalgam for a café-lined
Amsterdam street.
The neighborhood was bustling under the hot sun when
the Bubbler set up his act. He chose the
optimal location to catch tourists traversing the neighborhood: at the center
of the square with paired benches on two sides and crowded walking paths along
the other two sides. The Bubbler’s dog
loped in after the Bubbler and collapsed by the spectators in the shade,
drawing ear scratches. Resting tourists
would seem to be an easy crowd for a street performer, however it is doubtful
that this particular act provided enough entertainment to keep them seated
beyond their intended rest time.
Curiosity grew among onlookers as the Bubbler filled several
multi-colored bowls and the kiddie pool with a yellowish liquid. He drew a bikini-shaped wire contraption from
his backpack and connected it between two wooden dowels. He then dipped his contraption in the liquid
and slowly waved it around, producing giant bubbles. Although the Bubbler alternated between the
kiddie pool and the multi-colored bowls the bubbles produced appeared to be
identical.
After a few dips the Bubbler’s hand
movements changed subtly to produce many small bubbles. This change briefly delighted several
children. Sadly they too soon grew bored
after their parents pulled them away from the act, presumably so that the
parents would not be charged for the interaction. The seated onlookers grew increasingly
disinterested to the point that six of the fifteen people resting on the
benches were engrossed in their cell phones.
Others were involved in side conversations and still others had turned
to face the opposite direction.
The Bubbler’s investment in his act was minimal at
best. He seemed aloof in the least
interesting way imaginable and eyed his bubbles with little concern. He was not so invested in his audience’s
enjoyment that he humorously neglected his performance; neither was he
intriguingly aloof to his audience in favor of his performance. He did not exhibit qualities of a street mime
(in which not breaking character is distinctly important) so perhaps he too was
simply bored of his act.
The most exciting moment of the performance
was an aggressive act of audience participation in which an obviously
intoxicated British man torpedoed out of a nearby bar and across the square to
pop a bubble with his head. The effect
was less exciting than he seemed to expect and he sauntered disappointedly out
of the square without tipping. The
Bubbler seemed surprised by the energetic move and tried for several minutes to
repeat the same large bubble that had inspired the man. Unfortunately the Bubbler was unsuccessful in
eliciting the exuberant response a second time.
Perhaps the Bubbler wanted to end on this high note because he soon
packed his bags and pedaled away.
The Bubbler appeared to be an old hat
at street performance: he had a dog who was accustomed to his actions and he
carried appropriate, slightly worn equipment.
His bike was old and rusted in places but well-suited for his carrying
purposes. This reviewer doubts that he
is able to support himself on this performance alone, even if he moves
frequently between locations. Perhaps
this was just an off-day. Perhaps the
day’s high temperatures affected the Bubbler as much as they affected his dog
and the lethargic audience. Either way
the performance was a disappointment amidst an otherwise pleasant Amsterdam
neighborhood.
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