BWW Reviews: The BLUE MAN GROUP Parties in the O.C.

Like otherworldly blue aliens from a distant planet—think the N'avi from Avatar, but with more clothes and armed with giant smartphones and paint-filled marshmallows instead of deadly tribal weapons—the silent but fun BLUE MAN GROUP really knows how to bring its brand of peculiar party tricks to a rapt audience here in our world. Fascinated by random objects and behaviors, and aroused by their own extraordinary feats, the show enthralls its age-expansive audience by shining a colorful spotlight on its child-like exploration of their own curiosities, while also providing a really funky, rhythmic beat to serve as an underscore.

Now on a North American tour of venues that normally play host to Broadway-type theatrical productions, this new, NETWorks Presentations-produced version of their traveling arena show (running about 100 minutes with no intermission) combines some of the techno-magicians' infamous set pieces with all-new material. The result is an odd, peculiar, but highly-entertaining extravaganza of lights, sounds and visual anomalies that turn the Segerstrom Center for the Arts into party central through November 20.

Part avant garde theater and part techno rave party, BLUE MAN GROUP's festive show is a strange but enjoyable collection of percussion-heavy musical numbers, circus-lite trickery, random sight-gag vignettes, and a few improvised moments using members from the audience. The trio of mute, "performance art" purveyors—of which several different "actors" step in as one of the three blue guys on any given night—are not only accomplished percussionists but have mastered the art of delivering reactionary context without so much as a single word of dialogue. Though mostly blank-faced, their body language speaks volumes—a truly remarkable thing as they express a gamut of emotions from joy and lust to bewilderment or exasperation.

The laughs are frequent and infectious throughout. Even before the start of the show, the audience is treated to a pre-show set of funny observations and demands from an unseen person via digital super-titles high above the stage. En masse, the audience is asked to collectively greet random individuals in the audience. Once the industrial/digital set is finally revealed (massive LED panels and HD-projection screens provide much of the show's colorful visual splendor), we are treated to a steady stream of awesome tribal music interspersed with amusing "situations" that vary from strangely droll to just plain out-of-this-world kooky.

Part of the joy of watching a BLUE MAN GROUP show is their silent, sometimes cute-sy reaction to their investigative exploits, which all drive how each deals with the situations of the moment. Bewildered and fascinated by certain machinations and the behavior that emanates from the audience and each other, the blue-hued boys go from drumming musicians to determined mimes interchangeably as they discover things around them. Every silent nuance, every randomly-produced prop, and every adorkable quirk induces laughter. The whole show has an improv feel—of not knowing what to expect—which is half the fun.

There seems to be an overarching scolding of people's current over-reliance on technology for social interactivity, a theme that provides a comical section in the show featuring giant iPhone/iPads that the trio literally interact with on stage (the devices are actually larger than they are). A stunning blend of live-action acting and digital, pre-played video of themselves, the sequence represents one of many instances where technology makes theater more vivid and enjoyable to watch. To expect any sort of narrative in their shows is futile; here, the free-flow of abstract ideas is king.

To place more emphasis in the "art" of "performance art" the boys literally create abstract paintings on the fly, accomplished with the trickiest of means. The troupe's signature paint-splashing via drum beats method—a visually intoxicating display of dancing light and color that's become synonymous with this act—later expands to the even more astonishing antic of painting blank canvases with colored spit—yes, spit—which they carefully expectorate via paint-filled marshmallows they catch in their mouths.

The evening continues with a seamless set of bizarre shenanigans, the funniest of which involve actual interactions with audience members. At one point the trio plucks out a female member of the audience and treat her to a silent but hilarious four-way dinner date composed of a meal of Twinkies. Later, another audience member is recruited to become a human paintbrush (the video "shot live" from backstage suggests the guy is strapped upside down, is covered with paint, and is then smashed into a giant canvas).

Continuously reiterating the idea that the show is essentially just one huge communal party, much of the show's fun is in its direct engagement with the audience. It's a joyous, very Vegas-y show tailor-made for those with short attention spans and for those who think narrative exposition is intrusive. Audience participation is not only key, but encouraged. By the time the show erupts into a full-on massive dance-a-thon rave—complete with detailed instructions on how to replicate actual stadium concert moves—the whole place is on their feet shaking their booties while dodging gigantic colored balls and explosions of confetti and streamers. The euphoria of the chaotic finalé alone is enough to make the whole thing worthy of experiencing first-hand.

Full of lively comedy, interesting visuals, and rhythmic sounds, BLUE MAN GROUP's touring show is a fun, digitized kaleidoscope controlled by a trio of limber wordless entertainers. Kids, both little and big, will find the whole thing wildly enjoyable (some of the best moments in the show are highlighted by the sound of young kids of various ages laughing hysterically at the antics on stage). A completely unique theatrical experience, it's hard to categorize what genre of show this is. But that doesn't really matter when you're too busy shaking your booty while dodging a color-flashing ball the size of car careening your way. Fun!

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

Photos by Paul Kolnik.

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Performances of the National Tour of BLUE MAN GROUP at The Segerstrom Center of the Arts continue through November 20, 2011 and are scheduled Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30 pm, and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm.

Ticket prices start at $20 and can be purchased online at www.SCFTA.org, by phone at 714-556-2787 or in person at the SCFTA box office (open daily at 10 am). Segerstrom Center for the Arts is located at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa.

For more information, please visit SCFTA.org.

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