REVIEW: Blue Man Group [Theatre Buff]

Theatre Buff

Behind the scenes after the final curtain call...

REVIEW: Blue Man Group

Posted on December 6, 2006 2:25 PM
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The big, bold and slightly unnerving blue men wreak havok on the minds of innocent audience members London-wide. Can your imagination handle the Blue Man Group?

Ever wondered what Smurfs on crack would look like? These three blue men are as close as it gets as they take theatre to the next creative level. From the moment the theatre darkens, you know you're in for a strange experience - it's face painting gone wrong and somehow, it works...

See video footage below...

You've all heard of the television show Art Attack right? The kiddie cut and paste-a-thon hosted by Neil Buchanan. Kids love him and go on, admit it... you secretly like a bit of paint splashing action too. Well, imagine old Neil replaced with three slightly insane, bald men. Not only are they slathered in blue paint, they also have a fetish for breakfast cereal. Can you picture it? This, culture buffs, is Blue Man Group.

One can't help but pity the cleaners at the New London Theatre. A performance of Blue Man Group involves lashes of paint, innovative music, audience participation, humour and lots of mess. The only thing it doesn't feature is speech. Funnily enough, you won't even notice as your other senses hit overload. Young and old unite... theatre will never be the same again.

The performance is interactive before the trio even hit the stage. Personalised messages for certain audience members get the blue ball of surprise rolling. There doesn't seem to be any real purpose to the show, other than to yank viewers out of their daily routine, smack bang into the type of silliness we enjoyed when we were young. Suddenly, tomorrow's arduous tasks are a mile away. Whether you're bopping along to the beats, feeling the embarrassment of the poor woman they've dragged on stage or just lapping up the collision of mess and colour, it's feel good and funny entertainment.

It's true, people come out saying "what the hell..." and if you're the type that wants a storyline, a moral and a Shakespearian script you're better off at The Globe. If however, you've always secretly wanted to test how many marshmallows you can stuff into your mouth this might be one for you.

I laughed, my sister laughed louder and the man in front of us heckled, spluttered, went red with giggles and then damn near fainted. If you're willing to release the barriers of adulthood and unleash the pot-banging mess-maker inside, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

Above all, Blue Man Group will transport you out of the two dimensional world that many of us float about in; if only for an hour and a half.