1988. That was the year I set foot into the Astor Place Theatre to first catch The Blue Man Group.
At the time, the show was ground-breaking. I had never seen a show so excellently combine music, technology and comedy to create a form of entertainment that defies categorization and appeals to people of all ages. My memories of the show are quite vivid and that is something to say about my aging memory. So when my daughter recently asked me to take her to see the show, I found the idea incredibly exciting. For both of us. It’s also a sign that the show’s marketers are doing a very good job promoting the show if my own daughter saw it advertised somewhere and discovered the show on her own. Kudos to them!
25 years. How did that much time pass? It’s a long time and I was wondering how the show could possibly live up to my first impression. From the moment we took our seats on the balcony and looked down at the members of the audience below and saw every single one putting on plastic gear, I remembered just how creative these three guys can get. As they started the show banging drums while splashing large amounts of paint into the air, I watched the look of amazement on my 10 year-old’s face. That look stayed on her face during the 100 minute show. She was as mesmerized as I once was. The show has been updated with a massive use of technology, which has swept over the nation in the past 15-20 years and it really speaks to the tech generation she is a part of.
The Blue Man Group is an organization founded in 1987 by Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. Since then, it has become an international phenomenon. The organization produces theatrical shows and concerts featuring experimental music (with an emphasis on percussion), comedy and multimedia; recorded music and scores for film and television; television appearances for shows and more. These guys are truly one of a kind and have innovated a whole part of NYC theater that has gone over and beyond what it set out to be. Check out the video above to see what I’m talking about.
Buy tickets now! If you live in NYC, nearby or are visiting from out of town, this is the quintessential NYC experience that never gets old. All the seats are good, so the less expensive tickets upstairs work.
Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets to facilitate this review but all opinions are my own.
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