At this point you would be hard pressed to find an American that does not have some idea of what the Blue Man Group is. From their very modest beginnings performing on street corners in NYC or in underground cabarets such as The Club or the Off-Off-Broadway stage at LaMaMa the Blue Man Group has honed their unique brand of performance art. Now the Blue Man Group boasts world tours, television performances, movie appearances, hugely popular productions in Las Vegas, Orlando, Chicago, Boston, several locations in Europe and were even the spokesmen for Intel.
The Blue Man Group is an energetic, interactive, musical, multi-media, dance, comedy performance art piece and clown show. One of the reasons that I believe this perennial Off-Broadway production is so popular is because it is so accessible. According to the program their goal is to provide "experiences in a variety of media, which appeal to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds." It does not matter what language you speak. It does not matter how old you are. It does not matter your religion, your education or your political leanings, you can identify with the blue men. That is one hell of an accomplishment.
Using percussive music, paint, films, slide shows, resourceful musical instruments, clever props, tons of recycled paper and the audience itself, the blue men provide an hour and a half of inventive fun with a little insight into human nature and human culture. I have seen the Blue Man Group before and was happy to see some of my favorite scenes from my previous visit, but I was also delighted to see some new things as well.
While the Astor Place Theatre is the home base for the Blue Man Group, it is considerably more modest than the large arenas that host them in other cities. This means you may not see some of the more grand displays that you might at some of the other locations. Also, if you are over 5 feet tall, you might find the seats, especially in the balcony a little too close for comfort.
There is interactive and then there is "interactive." If you don't mind a little regurgitated Twinkie in your hair you might want to reserve a seat in the "poncho" section of the theatre. After all, a little sweat and blue greasepaint never hurt anyone. However, if you are a little squeamish, you might want to get seats a little further back from the stage.
To buy tickets or learn more about the Blue Man Group, check out their website at http://www.blueman.com/.
The Blue Man Group is an energetic, interactive, musical, multi-media, dance, comedy performance art piece and clown show. One of the reasons that I believe this perennial Off-Broadway production is so popular is because it is so accessible. According to the program their goal is to provide "experiences in a variety of media, which appeal to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds." It does not matter what language you speak. It does not matter how old you are. It does not matter your religion, your education or your political leanings, you can identify with the blue men. That is one hell of an accomplishment.
Using percussive music, paint, films, slide shows, resourceful musical instruments, clever props, tons of recycled paper and the audience itself, the blue men provide an hour and a half of inventive fun with a little insight into human nature and human culture. I have seen the Blue Man Group before and was happy to see some of my favorite scenes from my previous visit, but I was also delighted to see some new things as well.
While the Astor Place Theatre is the home base for the Blue Man Group, it is considerably more modest than the large arenas that host them in other cities. This means you may not see some of the more grand displays that you might at some of the other locations. Also, if you are over 5 feet tall, you might find the seats, especially in the balcony a little too close for comfort.
There is interactive and then there is "interactive." If you don't mind a little regurgitated Twinkie in your hair you might want to reserve a seat in the "poncho" section of the theatre. After all, a little sweat and blue greasepaint never hurt anyone. However, if you are a little squeamish, you might want to get seats a little further back from the stage.
To buy tickets or learn more about the Blue Man Group, check out their website at http://www.blueman.com/.
Insider Tips
- Choose your seat carefully. If you are tall, like me, you will want to select seats either in the first row of the balcony or in the orchestra. There is a "poncho" section of seating consisting of the first 4 rows. People sitting in these seats may be sprayed with food, paint or jello.
- Take a camera. While you are not allowed to take photos in the theatre itself (a rule that is strictly enforced) you can take photos with the blue men and/or the band after the show in the lobby.
- Don't be shy. This is an audience participation production. It is so much more fun when the audience is excited and involved.
