Blue Man Group
AEG Artistic
The Lowry, Salford
October 2-6, 2024; 90 mins (no interval)
Speechless is probably a good word to describe the encounter we had with Blue Man Group in the bar before the performance.
They are visually iconic, of course, but at times quite silent, in a state of childlike innocence, confused by the world around them. When they poured my 11-year-old a drink, she marvelled at their oddness, and literally had no words. Later she told me they smelled a bit like paint. There could be a reason for that.
Like animals, or children, they move in packs, always three. And group behaviour and imitation is a key theme, as they instruct the audience without words on how to move and act, sometimes as individuals, sometimes en masse. If you care to think about it, it raises questions about how we behave socially and to whose direction we might be willing to respond and why.
If you just want to have fun, Bluevolution World Tour has moments of joyous participatory theatre, where hundreds of people enjoy sensory togetherness and community with music, amazing visuals and even streamers firing into the audience.
But as fun as it is, there are serious themes. Consumerism; art and value; sight and sound; overconsumption; the relationship between the human and the digital; science; technology; mass media; connections; systems. You’re never forced into considering them, but they’re there if you want to. But then why not just marvel at the visual spectacle, the inventive percussion made with paint, or from plumbing, or from the crunching of breakfast cereal… What even is breakfast cereal, why is it so crunchy uniformly packaged, universally available, nutrition free? Who makes it, who profits, what does that say about us as consumers? Think about it if you will. Or just enjoy the crunch...
The percussion itself is stunning. Largely made of plastic pipes played with paddles, the instrument itself is a feat of engineering. One could ask why make a percussion frame for three players out of pipes, and think about systems and connections and infrastructure… but again, one doesn’t need to.
The performers and the design are wonderful. There are three blue men and a female drummer (or ‘Rock Star’), largely behind the group, playing more standard instruments, and being significantly less blue. The drummer is a new addition for the current tour, and we really liked her. Maybe not everyone has to be blue. Or a man… Think about it. Or just enjoy the lights and the entertainment and some stunningly inventive percussion music.
More info and tickets here
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