World-renowned performance art group Blue Man Group brought their talents to the prestigious Kennedy Center on Thursday, July 21st, where they are currently in residency. A popular name in the entertainment industry, Blue Man Group, is renowned for its stage performances. These performances include various music and art forms, both popular and obscure.
The performance troupe has their skin painted blue during the show. There are always three of them appearing in the show. In addition, the performers are mute during the performance. Signature drumming, surprise audience interaction, and hilarious absurdity were some of the night's highlights. Not to mention colorful moments of creativity and quirky comedy that had the audience in stitches.
My wife first introduced me to the Blue Man Group during our early years of marriage. Despite their formation 35 years ago, I had never seen the group live until my spouse mentioned the act was a bucket list item. So when the group was performing in Baltimore back in 2010, I made sure to get tickets.
Hearing that the group was making a return to the DMV, I decided to attend. Walking into Thursday's show, I expected the show to be similar to my first experience, but to my surprise, the show was different. I don't want to go into expansive details about the show since I want potential attendees to be excited when they see it.
I will say that the show starts with the group doing their signature drumming while utilizing various watercolors. Looking towards the front of the audience, I saw multiple attendees in ponchos, so I expected the Blue Man group to go all out and drench those in the front rows. While this didn't occur, the night's highlight for me was moments away.
Perhaps due to the shirt I was wearing (the logo said "My Skin Color is Not A Crime" ) the Blue Man Group chose me to participate in a sketch. To the admiration of my wife and son. I graciously grabbed the provided bullseye target while wearing an eye protection visor. I understood that the Blue Men would pelt a giant paintball at the target. At the same time, my son smiled a million-dollar smile that read, "Dad is about to get soaked." However, he was disappointed when the Blue Men dropped this sketch unexpectedly and moved on to some improv.
Two late arrivals to the show inspired the group to play a prerecorded song roasting the two latecomers while they took their seats. On the one hand, the "late" theme was a humorous moment. I'm sure the audience looked forward to seeing the paintball and target trick. Thankfully a sketch towards the end of the night made up for the missed opportunity. It involves the Blue Men trying to discover the science behind dating. The group poses as extraterrestrials and randomly selects two willing female audience participants.
Throughout the sketch, the groups give the participants phones. We then watch the participants engage in a brief old-school courting before the sketch concludes with mock nuptials. It's a moment you had to witness live, as my words don't do the sketch justice. If you don't get a chance to see the Blue Man Group before they leave the Kennedy Center, I highly encourage you to check out the show in either New York, Chicago, Las Vegas, or Boston, where show variations run year-round.
Final Grade: B+
Tickets ($39-$149) are available at the box office, online, or by calling (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324. Blue Man Group plays through July 31st, 2022, at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center.