[Sealobo]

Have any of you seen it? I saw the perfermance last night with my girlfriend in London, excellent stage/sound effect and silent humor; I'd recommend anyone to see it. They also have quite a few show venues in North America.

http://www.blueman.com/

(If my memory served me right... i think they're starred in one of the Intel TV ads in the early 90s')

[andi*pandi]

saw them several years ago--in fact, that night my husband to be was brought up on stage as a volunteer. Very good stuff.

I was a bit disappointed in them for doing intel ads, considering that their early shows used macs (after dark played a big part I think) but hey, a gig is a gig.

[Paco500]

As I recall, at the same time they were doing Intel ads, they were featured on apple.com for their use of Macs in the production of their shows. It was a bit funny.

But then, maybe the Blue Men are all-knowing other worldy beings that knew the scoop before the rest of us.

Or maybe they just liked the paycheck.

[Dork.]

I saw them several years ago at their theater in the East Village in NYC. I've heard their other shows are top-notch, no matter where you see them.

[macroy]

Saw them in Vegas two winters ago. It was good...but not great. However, I did see Cirque du soleil's "O" the night before - I think anything after that would've been a bit "meh"....

[osiris]

Saw them when they first opened in NY without knowing what to expect. I never had so much fun at a show, it's just a wild trip. You'll have a great time!

[starman]

Saw them in NY, Boston, and Vegas. Great show.

[DigitalEl]

Vegas here. Great show. Would definitely see them again.

Anybody seen Zumanity at New York-Las Vegas?

[MacMan4000]

I've seen it in NYC... twice. Excellent show. I actually wrote a "fine arts critique" on it for my english class a few years ago... I think I still have it on my computer somewhere if your interested.

[DigitalEl]

Originally Posted by MacMan4000

I actually wrote a "fine arts critique" on it for my english class a few years ago... I think I still have it on my computer somewhere if your interested.

Would love it. Going to Vegas again next month and wanna take the wife to a show. Blue Man was the leading contender, but the Zumanity ads are omnipresent. Looks like fun.

[KeriVit]

drunk now. but loved blue man group in Boston.

[freudling]

KeriVit:

Me too. Love ya man!

[iLikebeer]

Originally Posted by macroy

Saw them in Vegas two winters ago. It was good...but not great. However, I did see Cirque du soleil's "O" the night before - I think anything after that would've been a bit "meh"....

I was going to say the exact same thing, except it was two springs ago

[andreas_g4]

They are performing here in Berlin all the time, but I have yet to see them. Friends tell me the show is very entertaining, and after your comments, I think I really need to give it a shot…

[aberdeenwriter]

I was going to see Zumanity in Vegas on my honeymoon, but...

I hear BMG and Cirque are like Apples and Oranges. Two different experiences, both of them good. Just like Zumanity is different from the other permanent Cirque shows in Vegas.

Finally, this:

Fred Armisen (born December 4, 1966 in Valley Stream, New York) is an American comedian and actor.

Armisen began his career in 1988 when he moved from New York to Chicago to play drums for the punk rock band, Trenchmouth. In the 1990s he performed with the Blue Man Group. His transition from music to comedy occurred with the 1998 short film Fred Armisen�s Guide to Music and South by Southwest. The film featured Armisen's trip to the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, where he captured reactions while posing as a music journalist.

IMO Armisen is inspired and fresh and borders on genius. Wide range of skills and characters.
Does a KILLER "Prince" impersonation on SNL.

[wdlove]

I've never been to a Blue Man Group show. Just ads on TV about them.

[MacMan4000]

Originally Posted by DigitalEl

[/b]Would love it. Going to Vegas again next month and wanna take the wife to a show. Blue Man was the leading contender, but the Zumanity ads are omnipresent. Looks like fun.

OK, here it is, but remember, this was written as a Freshman in High School, so there is some filler to make it reach the 2 page minimum. But most of its good... just dont be expecting anything brilliant. I'm a crappy writer.

Originally Posted by MacMan4000's Fine Arts Critique

The Blue Man Group - Tubes

From a darkened stage you hear the band start up. Starting soft and then building to concert volume. Then suddenly you see the shadows of three men playing large drums in time with the band’s music. This is how the Blue Man Group show, entitled “Tubes”, starts out. It is amazing how three man dressed in all black with their faces painted blue can make such a wonderful show. I saw the show at New York’s Astor Palace Theater and loved everything about it. The show, created by Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman, is one of the most creative and different shows I have ever seen.

Before the show starts everyone in the audience is given strips of crepe paper with no instructions of what to use it for. Everyone instinctively makes headbands with it. Audience members in the front three or four rows of seats are given ponchos (a lot of the show involves paint and other items flying across stage). As the theater starts filling up a red electronic scrolling sign gives the audience some pre-show entertainment. It takes audience members’ names from Will Call ticket information and puts them in funny messages. One of the messages said “We have a celebrity in the audience today. John Doe just figured out cold fusion. Let’s all thank John Doe for figuring out cold fusion.” Then the sign told us all to repeat after it as it thanked John Doe. These signs were used fairly often in the performance along with many other props.

The props are a big part of Tubes because the Blue Men never speak. The theater is a little on the small side but in this case that is a plus because the Blue Men use audience participation a lot. The set and theater design are both ideal for the show. Everything, and I mean everything, is covered in tubes of all different sizes shapes and colors. The costumes were also fantastic. Even though they were extremely plain they fit in perfectly. The Blue Men wear all black and painted any exposed skin blue. Their entire heads are painted with a wet looking blue paint and they wore blue latex gloves so that all exposed skin is blue. They were simple but it worked. The acting was hilarious.

The acting is hard to describe. It could be called “mime” with props, performance art, or just plain funny. I think it is all three. It is like a mime show because they never talk. It is unlike a mime because the never have expression and they use props, mimes do have lots of expression and do not use props. It is amazing how three guys who never talk can make you laugh so much. There is also a lot of physical comedy. One Blue Man manages to catch literally dozens of marshmallows in his mouth one after the other with out ever chewing or swallowing, he just crams them all back to make room for more. The performance also includes loads of music. The Blue Men themselves perform some of it while other music comes from a three-man band wearing neon glow-in-the-dark war paint.

So if you like physical comedy (who doesn’t?) and good music this show is a must see. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you do get the opportunity to see this show live ask for poncho seats if they are available. It makes the show that much more fun and interesting.

[ironknee]

saw them 2 times here in nyc...first time was way back in early 90s as a birthday preset...

then a few years later i treated some family from norway who wanted to see cats...they loved it...that night, they used my name in the zipper before the show and the volunteer was Mary Steenburgen.

[Bandit240]

All ive seen of them is a FreeView thing on DirecTV. I think it was from the Complex tour. It was good though, ive got the complex CD now. Id like to see one fo their shows in person, but i dont think they ever come to Charleston SC.

[SSharon]

Originally Posted by macroy

Saw them in Vegas two winters ago. It was good...but not great. However, I did see Cirque du soleil's "O" the night before - I think anything after that would've been a bit "meh"....

I've listened to some of their stuff but I have never seen any of their shows.
I saw BMG in Chicago many years ago and now I want to go again.

[aberdeenwriter]

Originally Posted by MacMan4000

OK, here it is, but remember, this was written as a Freshman in High School, so there is some filler to make it reach the 2 page minimum. But most of its good... just dont be expecting anything brilliant. I'm a crappy writer.

I enjoyed your critique. Your enthusiasm for the performance came through and would make me interested in seeing the show if it were in town. Good job, man!

[subego]

Originally Posted by DigitalEl

Vegas here. Great show. Would definitely see them again.

Anybody seen Zumanity at New York-Las Vegas?

It was excellent. The theatre has a really high ceiling, allowing some routines to be truly death-defying. The "sexy" factor for you (though unlikely for the wife) will depend somewhat on how attracted you are to super-athletic dancer type bodies. Most of the female performers were too boyish looking for my tastes.

We saw Mystère as well. Both me and my GF thought that was even better.

One of the routines in Mystère is absolutely positively the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Oddly enough, though Zumanity is supposed to be the "sexy" one, this particular routine is so homoerotic it actually made me a little uncomfortable. Hell, there was a gay guy behind me, and it made him uncomfortable.

Don't let that scare you away though. It's not graphic or anything. It's hard to describe. I'd even say, for the most part, the homoeroticism is not even intentional. The routine is so unimaginably difficult, the participants grunt and groan the whole time. They really should be screaming in pain. This routine comes pretty early in the show, which I must admit is a flaw in the pacing which Zumanity doesn't suffer from. The rest of the Mystère is wonderful, but it unsurprisingly never reaches that level again.

I'm not kidding, this particular routine is a complete order of magnitude above anything I have ever seen.

[aberdeenwriter]

Originally Posted by subego

It was excellent. The theatre has a really high ceiling, allowing some routines to be truly death-defying. The "sexy" factor for you (though unlikely for the wife) will depend somewhat on how attracted you are to super-athletic dancer type bodies. Most of the female performers were too boyish looking for my tastes.

We saw Mystère as well. Both me and my GF thought that was even better.

One of the routines in Mystère is absolutely positively the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Oddly enough, though Zumanity is supposed to be the "sexy" one, this particular routine is so homoerotic it actually made me a little uncomfortable. Hell, there was a gay guy behind me, and it made him uncomfortable.

Don't let that scare you away though. It's not graphic or anything. It's hard to describe. I'd even say, for the most part, the homoeroticism is not even intentional. The routine is so unimaginably difficult, the participants grunt and groan the whole time. They really should be screaming in pain. This routine comes pretty early in the show, which I must admit is a flaw in the pacing which Zumanity doesn't suffer from. The rest of the Mystère is wonderful, but it unsurprisingly never reaches that level again.

I'm not kidding, this particular routine is a complete order of magnitude above anything I have ever seen.

WOW!

Great build up!

[subego]

Thanks.

[MacMan4000]

Originally Posted by aberdeenwriter

I enjoyed your critique. Your enthusiasm for the performance came through and would make me interested in seeing the show if it were in town. Good job, man!

Thanks

[KeriVit]

Originally Posted by KeriVit

drunk now. but loved blue man group in Boston.

I don't remember writing that. But, still liked BMG in Boston.