The Chicago area is rich with theatrical productions, but few of them hold the sort of magic or enduring affection that have marked Blue Man Group over the past 30 years.
From the stage of Briar Street Theatre in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, Blue Man Group continues to wow audiences of all ages with a unique blend of onstage antics.
“It’s colorful and it’s bright and it’s fun,” says Gareth Hinsley, one of six full-time Blue Men in Chicago. “You can expect to laugh. It’s very funny. There are elements of the show that are very impressive to the stage. Still, when I watch the show I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s really cool.’”
Every show is a little bit different, particularly when the Blue Men and the audience interact onstage. Special holiday performances take the magic to a whole different level.
A Halloween show at 1 p.m. on Oct. 27 is specially made for families, with pre-show fun in the lobby that includes face painting, spooktacular surprises during the performance, goodie bags for children in costume and a post-show meet-and-greet with the Blue Men in the theater lobby.
“My kids are desperate to go,” says Hinsley. “They went last year and really loved it.”
The holiday season brings out unique onstage fun, particularly on New Year’s Eve when four shows help to ring in midnight – because it’s always midnight somewhere.
“We have a special ending where we play Auld Lang Syne, so you get something like a New Year’s experience without staying up past midnight with your kids,” Hinsley says. “It’s a good time with our Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas shows. We make them as special as we can.”
Blue Man Group got its start in New York City in the late 1980s and arrived in Chicago in 1997.
There are currently about 80 Blue Men in seven cities and three tours.
No matter where you see them perform, there are some things you can always count on, starting with the three performers onstage, each clad in black clothing with his hands, face and head covered entirely in blue. The characters are silent; they communicate only through nonverbal cues, especially gestures and facial expressions.
Much of the show is accompanied by music, from both the house band and the Blue Men, who use the most inventive things to tap out rhythms and expressions.
“A piece of plumbing pipe doesn’t have to be just a piece of plumbing pipe. It can be a musical instrument and then an entire musical experience,” says Hinsley. “It’s like, we have these antennas and we can use them to make sounds. And paint is a huge part of the show. We’re always asking, ‘What can we do with this?’”
All of this invention can sometimes get a little messy – in the most entertaining of ways. A certain part of the theater is designated the “poncho section” for good reason.
Wonder and magic abound in Blue Man Group’s foot-tapping shows. Hinsley’s three children – ages 6, 8 and 10 – aren’t the only ones in the audience who are spellbound by the Blue Men.
“It piques their curiosity, and I see it in adults, too,” Hinsley says. “It’s that moment where they say, ‘Huh, I’ve never seen that sort of thing before. How did they do that?’ It brings you to this state of being curious to watch a great piece of theater. You’re ready to have fun. It’s like a state of child-like play.”
Hinsley had only a vague idea of Blue Man Group when he was cast for the role 17 years ago, about the time it launched in London. The Leicester, England, native saw his first show in New York City and was blown away, all while wondering what he was getting himself into. The training process included six months of drum school and weeks of practice before he debuted on the Chicago stage.
These days, he performs onstage and trains up-and-coming Blue Men in this unique art. Fun fact: It takes about 30 minutes for the Blue Men to get into full costume.
“We take our time because, without sounding pretentious, there is something about putting the makeup on that is important for the three performers. We all share a dressing room. We all get ready at the same time. In order to perform a show, we need to be pretty well connected and in tune with each other, because we’re not speaking onstage. The audience is fresh that night, so we have to be in a place where we’re connected.”
If you’ve seen Blue Man Group before but it’s been awhile, there’s plenty of new material arriving on the Chicago stage. Some acts are unique to the Windy City, while others are simply new arrivals, part of a “surge” of new material to arrive over the past two years. Hinsley says this latest iteration is one of his favorite lineups yet – and there’s plenty more coming, all of it filled with magic that appeals to children, moms, dads and grandparents alike.
“I love watching the audience react to us, especially with a family unit,” says Hinsley. “Seeing an 8-year-old kid and a 40-year-old parent have the same expression on their faces as they’re like, ‘What just happened? Wow.’ And you get these moments of, ‘What is this?’ There’s so much joyful surprise, and when you can see it across multiple generations, I just love that.”
To order tickets to any of Blue Man Group’s 2024 shows, head to BlueMan.com/Chicago or call 1-800-BLUE-MAN. Briar Street Theatre is located at 3133 N. Halsted St., in Chicago’s Lakewood neighborhood.