BWW Reviews: BLUE MAN GROUP Involves Everyone

Having seen BLUE MAN GROUP several times in other cities- Boston, Chicago, etc.- it was fun to see them in our own town for a change. I was wondering if it would be as entertaining, since in those larger cities they have smaller venues that are their own spaces, set up specifically for their shows. In a huge venue would the whole thing be too far removed and less intimate? The built in monitors and paper dispensers would not be a part of our civic center concert hall, so I wondered how it would all translate.

I was worried for nothing. The "bigger than life" characters that are BLUE MAN GROUP carry very well across a large theatre and where we had no built in lights or paper cannons, they brought plenty of portable ones. And their non-speaking antics worked well in this space.

Part of what helped was the constant ventures they made into the audience. My companion, who will only sit on the aisle, is terrified to have actors approach him (I guess he has seen me and my cohorts enough to know we can be dangerous!) Many times when the BLUE MAN GROUP would suddenly glare into the audience, I felt my spouse tense up. And several times he barely missed being the object of their attention. (We did make it onto the screen once by way of live action cameras.)

BLUE MAN GROUP are masters of comedy without saying a word. The use of loud announcements, videos and sight gags don't take away from their subtle, silent humor. The whole show is a feast for all of the senses and keeps you engaged. When they ask you to stand and shake your "groove thing, money makers, apple bottoms, etc." I know I stood up with little enthusiasm on a Monday night after a long day. But by the time they threw the large beach balls that changed colors into the audience and we kept them bouncing around for some time, no one could help but be caught up in the fun. Even the balcony got involved!

Although the show was very similar to the ones I have seen before in smaller venues, the larger space was handled smartly. I never missed the intimacy I was concerned about. And the extra excitement added by the larger space made for more fun.

If you have never seen BLUE MAN GROUP, put it on your bucket list. Most large cities have a resident troupe, so add it to your attractions to see next time you vacation.

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