Recently my family went to the Blue Men’s Group in Chicago, IL. The show has been around for 10 years and still draws a crowd at every performance. I came with high hopes and I will not be disappointed. Amazing to say the least. What I was waiting for was someone who was quite a big drummer. Did he disappoint me! Music is only half of it. It’s a musical performance, comedy acts, and lots of surprises packed into 1 hour and 45 minutes. I took my children, ages 8 and 10, and they were terrified as we left the theater. For it is a spectacle that excites the crowd from the second it begins until the last act.
Blue Man Group at Briar Theater at 3133 N. Halsted St. It is very easy to find and it is worth parking for 10 dollars outside the theater. As soon as you walk in the theater doors, you feel the show. It is dark, with very careful tickets and employees wearing dark clothing. Large pipes and hoses hang from the ceiling on all sides. It sets the mood for excitement and mystery. The staff are so helpful and at every corner of the theater. It’s a small place so it doesn’t get in the way of finding your seats. The theater itself is decorated in the same way as the entrance. There are all these big pipes and tubes hanging from all sides, and you wonder what is the point of it all. You will soon find out as the show begins!
Excitement builds in the audience as they all scream and shout before the start of the show. The first 5 rows of the audience were covered in plastic ponchos and I don’t know why. Everyone is handed a bundle of toilet paper and asked to wrap it around their body in a unique way. We are all still there. A group of Blue Man then appear as the mob goes wild. The show begins with amazing music and these people, paint color blue, beating drums full of blues. . Everywhere in the crowd they paint and squeal. Now we know why the front rows are in ponchos! The concert continues with the stage filled with comedians and people from the audience. There is absolutely no speaking on stage. It’s just music and miming. After some hilarious skits and a terrific performance, the lights go out and all the pipes hang down from the ceiling. over your head, and it will start going round and round. The toilet paper handed out to the conductors before the show started is being flashed by everyone in the audience. Then the most unexpected thing happened. The Blue Man team runs to the back row and begins pulling toilet paper from the rolls attached to the back wall. There are at least 50 rolls. They hand the end of the toilet paper to the last row of people and tell them to pass it around until it all ends up in the front row. As the back row keeps pulling the paper from the rolls and passing to the front the show starts flashing. All you can see is a hundred lines of toilet paper coming down the front, glowing in the dark, until all the toilet paper ends up on the stage. The pile of toilet paper is at least 6 feet high across all sides. I have never seen anything like it. Finally, with an incredible blow, they act to drain the pipes.
The theme of the show seems to have something to do with your plumbing and bathroom. She is never quite bright, but she is extremely creative. It’s a show for the whole family and tickets cost a fraction of the cost. Tickets will run you $50.00 which is really a steal. You feel like you were unique, a one of a kind show and truly one of the best Chicago experiences.
