What's the secret to blowing a really good bubble? Performers Kurt Murray and Iulia Benze have the answer to this slippery question.
Their Bubble Show in Space has toured the world and is coming to the Sydney Fringe Festival for the first time, starting Saturday.
For a start, there's the right bubble mix, Murray told AAP.
As a bubble-blowing street performer in London more than a decade ago, he would mix half a litre of Fairy dishwashing liquid with half a can of beer, a teaspoon of sugar and five litres of water.
These days, he and partner Benze use a "very expensive" commercial grade mix designed for professional bubble blowers.
Yet, blowing a lasting bubble is really all about skill.
"It's like any other acrobatic or circus act, you've just got to practice like a lunatic."
Both trained actors, Sydney-born Murray met Benze, from Romania, when he was working as a street performer in London.
Since 2014 they have taken their bubble stage shows to more than 20 countries, and even performed on TV talent shows in China and Bulgaria.
In Bubble Show in Space, they blow shapes filled with smoke and helium, create bubble tubes and helmets, and make bubbles so enormous that people can fit inside.
Blowing bubbles on stage requires intense focus according to Benze, who believes these ephemeral creations are tuned in to human emotions.
"When you're happy, bubbles can feel it, and they have wonderful shapes and they're very strong," she told AAP.
"But when you're upset, also bubbles will feel that and they won't work."
While there are dozens of other touring bubble shows, it's a point of pride for the couple that their productions are story-driven, with narratives about friendship, overcoming fears, and encouraging exploration.
In Bubble Show in Space, Benze's clown character Milkshake wants a star she sees in the night sky, so she and Murray's Dr Bubble make a helium-filled bubble rocket to blast off into space - where they encounter some pint-sized alien volunteers.
"We just really wanted to create the best possible experience that you could have as a kid," said Murray.
Inevitably, bubbles go pop at the wrong moment, but these situations are an important lesson for their young audience, said Benze.
"What do you do when something fails? You just try again, and it's not the end of the world."
While the couple spends much time on the road, they have a home base in Romania and another in Adelaide, and both are set up with space to develop new bubble tricks.
Since 2017, their Bubble Laboratory production company has also toured a neo-burlesque bubble show for adults, which won Best Circus Act at Fringe World 2023.
Benze, who trained at the prestigious Central School of Speech and Drama in London, said she never imagined she would travel the world, blowing bubbles.
"It felt like the world just asked for more bubble shows, that's what they love to see from us."
Bubble Show in Space is on at Darling Harbour's Village Green from September 7 until October 7, followed by a performance at Mt Isa Civic Centre on November 28 and Bubble Show For Christmas at Redland Performing Arts Centre Brisbane, December 5-13.
Adult Bubble Show runs at the Village Green, September 4-15.
