BLUE MAN GROUP is Full-Throttle Fun in San Francisco Now Thru June 19th

Nothing can quite prepare you for Blue Man Group. You may have seen them on YouTube or you may have visited their website, but until you have become an actual Blue Man "Groupie," meaning you have caught their act in person, then you cannot know that BMG is not simply something to view, it is something you have to experience. San Francisco audiences will have a chance to do just that at the Golden Gate Theater, where Blue Man mania is reigning supreme, now through June 19th. When they go they will find that Blue Man Group is full-throttle fun, deliriously served up and flung out into the audience - which is why the front row people are given plastic ponchos to wear!

If there is a Gospel According to Blue Man Group it is enshrined in their opening statement projected on a big, blue (of course, blue) screen as you enter the theater:

"When meeting people from a foreign culture, offer a few gifts that reflect your interests as a gesture of friendship. Better yet, give things you've created yourself. Also, explore their interests and their culture. Ultimately, the best way to forge a lasting friendship is to create something together. Whether it's a meal, an art project or a spontaneous dance party, when you create something with others, you build a connection that lasts a lifetime."

The good news is that they spend an hour and forty minutes creating these lasting connections through comedy, music and, yes, meals, art projects and dance. Poncho-wearing audience members Maggie and Tony Blair had a blast. Traveling from Texas to visit the City-by-the-Bay, they said they were hoping for an "in-your-face" good time and that's exactly what they got -- although I'm not sure that giggly gelatin catapulted from the stage was what they had in mind. Or maybe it was.

Other audience members were commandeered to help create the crazy, zany, outrageous fun. One woman, shaking with excitement, was brought on stage to share a Twinkie meal and was shocked when gooey "stuff" began oozing out of the vest that they gave her to wear. Two others received rapt attention for being late, and one man's body was used to create a full-sized human art project which was later displayed in the lobby. Everyone was invited to shake their badonkadonks and play with big balls that bounced around the room while confetti shot through the air. The theater was filled with squeals (yes, squeals) of delight.

Seriously, you have to go and be part of the fun. Lighting design (Joel Moritz) and dazzling use of video projections (Caryl Glaab and BMG) collaborated with heart-thumping rock music (sound design by Matt Koenig) and free-flowing food and paint to create a dynamic of absolute abandon from the work-a-day world. Blue Man Group could single-handedly change the definition of what it means to feel "blue." I think everyone should have a giant confetti machine and big balls to bounce around the house whenever they want to feel "blue."

Go and experience Blue Man Group. Then you'll really know that "when you create something with others, you build a connection that lasts a lifetime."

Blue Man Group
Golden Gate Theatre
1 Taylor Street
Corner of Taylor and Market at 6th Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets: 888 SHN 1799 (888 746 1799)
Recorded Information: 415 551 2000
www.shnsf.com
Photo courtesy of Paul Kolnik