Review: Wildly Entertaining BLUE MAN GROUP Brings Humor, Light, and Music to Providence

The long-running Blue Man Group presents a new touring production that combines smart physical comedy, brilliant visual effects, impressive musical talent, and the odd science lesson to create 90 minutes of non-stop entertainment.

The offbeat Blue Men began first performing in the late 1980s, and the group's ability to communicate through a universal language of theatricality and laughter speaks to BMG's enduring (and ever-growing) world-wide appeal. Founding members Chris Wink, Matt Goldman, and Phil Stanton sum up the essence of Blue Man Group with the term "Neo-Vaudevillian," an apt description of the troupe's unique blend of music, humor, art, and magic.

The three "bald-and-blue" performers guide the audience through an avant-garde world where music is not only audible, but expressed visually through paint and light. Manipulation of everyday items transforms the mundane - such as common PVC pipes - into impressive musical instruments, while savvy inclusion of other household products (cereal, toothpaste) and unconventional props provides opportunities for a subversively satirical look at consumer culture. Most all of the skits focus on human interaction, or the quirky Blue Men learning to interact with their human audience, and many pieces examine the ever-expanding role of technology in today's society. One such sketch memorably features the Blue Men engaging with larger-than-life sized iPads (or "GiPads"), playing music, altering their appearances (in an impressive feat of quick-change costuming and sleight-of-hand skills), and using the eReader feature on the panels. The first two Blue Men's viewers have comic readouts, such as two-sentence-long summaries of great works of literature and a tongue-in-cheek look at the unrelenting trend toward multi-tasking, while the third Blue's screen displays both thought-provoking and sobering statistics on the global increase of technology on a day-to-day basis.Expect plenty of audience interaction when dealing with the unpredictable Blue Men. They leave the set on multiple occasions during the performance to visit with patrons, sometimes to give their own unique brand of welcome, and other times to select a new friend to join them in their next onstage adventure. Toward the end of the performance, the Blue Men encourage the entire audience to take part in their energetic music-making; to add more here would spoil the effect, but suffice to say the finale is an exuberant celebration of color, sound, and light. The three Blue Men are talented percussionists in their own right, and they have numerous opportunities to demonstrate their skills on any number of drums and improvised platforms. In addition, the Blues are accompanied by a truly fabulous band, its members dressed in black light-reactive clothing for a striking, Tron-like look during their performances.Blue Man Group has undeniable, universal appeal and is great fun for audience members of all ages. No two acts are alike and the endearing Blue Men brim with so much personality that patrons in the furthest balcony seats see it clearly. The Blue Men's comedic performance has such timing and precise layering that it is impossible to stop smiling from the performance's beginning to the very end. Indeed, you will likely be grinning all the way out to the theater's parking lot.The Blue Men do tend to make messes as they express their creativity, so patrons in the first few rows should plan to wear light plastic ponchos (provided by the venue) to guard against any over-exuberant antics on stage. Also, BMG contains some slight innuendo, most of which will likely go over younger children's heads. Blue Man Group plays a limited engagement at the Providence Performing Arts Center through Sunday, March 3, 2013. Ticket prices range from $38-65, and group rates are available. To purchase tickets, contact the PPAC by phone at (401) 421-ARTS (2787), visit the box office located at 220 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI, or book online at www.ppacri.org. Note Blue Man Group features loud percussive music and strobe lights. For more information about the show, visit www.blueman.com.Photo courtesy Providence Performing Arts Center.

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