Manchester Theatre News & Reviews

REVIEW - Blue Man Group - Outstanding physical theatre, comic timing and utterly charming!

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On Wednesday, we were invited to The Lowry, Salford to see Blue Man Group. Read what our reviewer Christa Norton thought about this fun evening...

When I was asked to do this review, I jumped at the chance, because I had been intrigued by the frankly fantastic advertising which I have seen everywhere from social media to the M6. You cannot miss the ads, with these strange and otherworldly blue faces staring out at you. But I must confess that branding aside, I didn’t really know anything at all about the Blue Man Group. I didn’t know, for example, that they have been going for nigh on 20 years, and that hundreds of performers have worn the mantle of a ‘Blue Man’. Indeed a quick look at the website tells me that they are currently recruiting for Blue Men, and here is where it gets interesting, because the job description demands significant training and experience not just in musicianship (there is a lot of drumming) but in physical theatre, clowning and improvisation skills too.

Heading to The Lowry then, I still felt none the wiser as to what to expect. What was apparent is that the Blue Man Group has a serious fandom here in the UK. The audience was packed and buzzing with anticipation in the same way that you would expect from going to see something like Rocky Horror, and as the show started, there were clearly a lot of people who – unlike me – knew exactly what to expect.

So picture this. The stage is framed by a huge rig of plumbing-style piping, lit with a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes – predominantly but not exclusively blue. In the centre is a scaffolding framework on two levels, and a series of screens reminiscent of a set of speakers. As we waited for the show to start, messages started to appear on the screens, the usual ‘no photos’, ‘no texting’ and so on, but before long, more unusual messages start to appear: we are warned against Plerking and advised that there is to be absolutely no Farbing – to much cheering from the audience. Then – in a sign of things to come – the messages start getting personal. The audience is asked to wish Tom a happy birthday, to welcome some celebrities to the show, and to help Olek get over his headache by visualising a cow (who knew?).

It was at this point I noticed that the front two rows of the show had been handed out disposable ponchos (complete with hoods). Thankful that we were a little further back, I started to feel like I had an idea of what might be in store. How wrong I was.

Bluevolution has to be one of the most unusual, inventive, frankly crazy shows I have ever seen. Our eponymous Blue Man Group comprises three bald men dressed in black but with vibrant blue skin – the make up here is brilliant - who take the audience through a series of scenes (or maybe sketches would be a better word) that can best be described as epitomising curiosity: ‘what do you think might happen if…’.\

This curiosity ranges from ‘what happens if I hit a drum covered in paint – oooh let’s add more paint’ to ‘what would it look like if we paint a man entirely blue, hoist him by his feet and swing him into a huge piece of paper to make a work of art’. Combine this with some serious drumming, some psychedelic raving, and some Asimov-inspired human experimentation, and you’ll start to get a sense of the show.

The performances last night were absolutely phenomenal. I’d love to shout out the artists by name, but no programme is provided with this performance – perhaps to maintain that sense of mystique. The success of the show is entirely dependent on the ability of the artists to communicate a vast array of thoughts, feelings, emotions without saying a word, and the physical theatre is just outstanding. I was particularly impressed with their incredible comic timing – the raise of an eyebrow, the perfect tilt of a head had the audience roaring with laughter, and I have rarely laughed as loud as I did at this show.

Throughout, the Blue Man Group manage to convey a wonderful innocence and charm – very reminiscent of Beaker from The Muppets - and for me this was particularly magical when watching them drum together: we often talking about musicians playing their instruments but rarely do we have the opportunity to see musicians being playful, literally playing through their instruments. Yet when the Blue Man Group played, I really got a sense of them almost playing a game through their music, seeing who could drum loudest, fastest, or make the silliest noise, with the associated joy in finding out.

With so many different ideas and sketches throughout the 90 minutes, I did find myself looking for themes to tie it together, to try and make sense of the show and what it was trying to achieve. Plumbing was definitely a focus: the piping used in the staging is used as a drum in one sketch, with the Blue Man Group using different lengths to achieve different pitches. This is then taken to a whole new level later on in the show, when a xylophone-esque instrument created entirely from piping is used to perform William Tell, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik and Fur Elise amongst other things!

There is certainly also a strong scientific theme, with explanations of how our eyes work, of how we see colour, of how our brains interpret what our eyes see. One section harked back to the Sunscreen song, with a long scientific monologue set over some rave music. But there wasn’t really enough to tie the whole thing together and I did find the sketches disjointed and slightly random – there is no particular arc to follow. That said, on reflection I really don’t think that this matters, in fact my husband – who joined me for the show – felt that this slightly random, madcap, not knowing what was going to come next feeling kept him engaged and interested throughout.

Having had no idea what to expect, I find myself converted: again a little like Rocky Horror, it might not seem like it’s your thing, but Blue Man Group is one of those shows that everyone should see at least once. From an audience perspective, there were plenty of children in the audience who seemed utterly bewitched by what they were watching. The music is very loud and there are some flashing lights, so be prepared for that, but this is a fabulous, buzzing experience for anyone wanting a curious night out.

WE SCORE BLUE MAN GROUP...