Sunday, January 16, 2011

Blue Man Group

We headed out with Scott and Lisa to see Blue Man Group at the Peoria Civic Center last weekend. BMG was considered part of the Center's "Broadway" series, and given that it's been a 20 year concert run it makes sense to place it into that class.

We knew going in that the performers wouldn't be speaking, although occasionally there were recorded voices piped in.

The show started with a series of neon marquis scrollboards carrying on an e-conversation with the audience and with each other. Soon the three blue men (BM) performers were drumming/percussioning up a storm.

The BM weren't the only performers though. A band of drummers and guitarists were behind the curtain, so to speak, as the main act put on a musical show.

It was far more than a musical show. Those who aren't groupies for mimes would have only a faint idea of how funny performers can be with merely body language. It's a subtle genius of the production. Much of the enjoyment comes from tricks like tossing marshmallows into each other's mouths, seeing a couple members of the audience brought onto the stage for antics, and batting enormous glowing beach balls all about the theater.

Children and adults were both cracking up. If you appreciate musicianship, go see it. If you like physical comedy, go see it. The price is high-end, so your decision between BMG and, say, Wicked or Cats will just depend on your preference for a plot and dialogue. It's the kind of experience everyone should get to see once.

No comments: