I am glad I live in a world where the Blue Man Group can exist. It is performance art taken to the extreme; mixed with elements of rock concerts, stand-up comedy, and just a dash of social commentary.
It is art for art’s sake and one of the most joyful shows you will ever witness. Lucky for you the Blue Man Group is here in St. Louis at the Fox Theatre through December 2 because they deliver a performance that is guaranteed to be enjoyed by anyone who has ever smiled.
For the uninitiated, the Blue Man Group consists of three mute performers (played in various combinations on the tour by Kalen Allmandinger, Shane Andries, James Marlowe, Patrick Newton, Russell Rinker, and Chris Smith) painted entirely blue who engage in various antics while never changing expression.
They move around the stage like inquisitive aliens and engage the crowd via multimedia displays, percussion on a wide variety of “instruments” and good, old-fashioned audience participation.
The Blue Men are backed by a band dressed in neon suits and illuminated by black lights. In fact, the entire set looks as if it were put together by Ken Kesey and Timothy Leary.
It is fair to call the show weird, but only in the most gleeful meaning of the word. I suppose if there were a theme underlying the whole experience aside from simple fun and entertainment, it would be overcoming alienation in the modern world.
There are multiple shots at cell phones and texting implying they serve to only hamper our enjoyment of life and the world around us. But I would be missing the point if I tried to read any deeper into a show that features grown men banging on drums filled with paint or trying to see how many marshmallows they can fit inside their mouths.
Much like the Grand Canyon, the Blue Man Group is one of those things in life that no amount of description can compare to experiencing for yourself.
Just know that if you go you will have fun, you will laugh and if you are lucky for a few moments there you just might forget that you are an adult. You can’t ask much more for your entertainment dollar.
The Blue Man Group is now performing at the Fox Theatre through December 2. For tickets call (314)-534-1111 or go to metrotix.com.
