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Writer's pictureEMMA HARBEC-GAVRY & MARISOL SOVINE

Blue Man Group brightens Boston

The Blue Man Group performing at the Charles Playhouse Theater. Photo by Emma Harbec-Gavry

Any fan of theater knows that a show on a stage is more than just performing. It requires costumes, set production, makeup, sound engineering, lighting design, and so much more that ensures that the stage is ready for its stars. So, what exactly goes into staging the Blue Man Group show, a production known for its mystery, and how do they come up with their wild and creative ideas?


The Charles Playhouse Theatre in Boston has been home to one of the many performing Blue Men Groups for 29 years. The original Blue Man Group first started in New York in 1987, and over the decades has had different members be casted as the Blue Men around the world. As the cast evolved, the show has morphed as well to creatively tell stories on modern society. 


During a pre-show discussion, Jason McLin, captain of the Blue Man Group, spoke on what it’s like to figure out the character of the Blue Man. Since they don’t speak while performing, he mentioned the goal of “attempting to connect with people in the show” where the character is able to come to life by looking at the Blue Man through a lens where they have the ability to use improvisation and be open to curiosity in forming their character.


Adam Erdossy, a Blue Man since 2006, explained that the color blue has multiple meanings, but mainly that the pigmentation is up to interpretation, has an aura of mystery behind it, and can even have a calming effect. Character-wise, the Blue Men are not aliens, but rather a neutral “mask” and have no real sense of themselves, so they inhabit the character in their own way to bring themself to life.


My first impression was that it was going to be a music-centered show, with crazy paint splatters using drums to make the sound come to life, from seeing billboards and advertisements from my childhood. The performance was so much more than splattering paint and making music, it was a wild, crazy, and interactive performance. It’s not like any old performance; as an audience member, you feel as though you are part of the show, too. 


During the show, the Blue Man Group makes the audience feel as though they are in a whole new world throughout each act. At one point, the Blue Men threw marshmallows at each other to catch in their mouths—which is an element that we got to see rehearsed before the show began. During the performance, the group even got to a point where they were throwing marshmallows from the crowd to the stage, then to the crowd from the stage; I even ended up catching one from my seat.


Another engaging aspect of the Blue Man Group’s performance involved using various-sized cereal boxes to create another unique segment. One of the funniest parts of the show was when the Blue Men took people from the audience up on stage–they even put someone in an entire paint suit and spray painted them against a canvas.


At the end of the show, they played their iconic paint drums, where splatters of blue, yellow, and red paint went everywhere. Toilet paper, bubbles, and streamers proceeded to fly from the ceiling onto the crowd, and the Blue Men used paint rollers attached to leaf blowers to shoot streamers further into the theater. 


The Blue Man Group is a must-see event if you’re looking for something to do or visiting Boston for the day. If you haven’t seen the show before, what are you waiting for? Book your tickets now and see a show unlike any other.

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