Pulsating drums, unique sound creations, colorful lights, and three men with painted blue faces. It sounds like a simple description of Blue Man Group, but to give the performance details away would diminish the element of surprise that greets the audience during their 90-minute (no intermission) performance, currently running at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Created, written, and directed by longtime friends Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink, this Broadway Across Canada touring production involves several Blue Men (there are currently eight on the team), musicians, and artistic and musical collaborators. The group was founded to celebrate the human spirit through music, art, science, and theatre.
The three-person operation has grown over the decades into a successful global company with Grammy Award-winning music, two rock concert tours, a children’s Blue School, and numerous television appearances.
[Blue Man Group; photo by Paul Kolnik]
This production features a new sound, set, and video design that centers around a proscenium LED curtain and high-resolution screen. Drums are not only beat by the three main blue men on stage, but two upper platforms contain additional drum sets for added sound texture.
While the blue men never utter a word during the show, LED displays and audio clips aid the audience through the happening on stage. Having seen the show, I’d be surprised if any two shows were exactly alike. The men not only make it look easy, but genuinely appear to be having a fun time doing so.
This is also a highly interactive show: people seated in the first three rows (and first two on the sides) are given a plastic poncho. Aisle seats could find you up on stage dining with the group or something even cooler (again, no spoilers coming from this reviewer).
Go see Blue Man Group while they’re here. We guarantee that you’ll leave the party with a huge smile on your face – or in our case, dancing right out of the Queen E.
Broadway Across Canada’s Blue Man Group continues through March 30 at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre.