Some of us are born to be blue, others have blueness thrust upon them. Visitors to Las Vegas have the option of observing the Blue Men from a safe distance at the Luxor, or within the reach of streams of Twinkie cream filling sprayed into the first few rows of the audience, nearly every night. The purpose of the Blue Man Group is perplexing, yet graspable. They are three friends, mutely flummoxed by the multicolored world around them but enthusiastically curious and expressive with innovative art techniques and musical instruments.
Photo by: Lindsey Best
No one told them life was going to be this way when they started making appearances in Manhattan in the late '80s. Co-founders Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink turned a visual joke into a job by 1991, when they first set up tubal percussion apparatuses in downtown New York's Astor Place Theatre. They became as iconic in the '90s as the fictional Friends who hung out in a make-believe West Village coffeehouse and were based on the kind of people who would have been early attendees of Blue Man Group shows.
So, it was entirely appropriate that Blue Man Group played a role in the Vegas-based 25th anniversary celebrations of the long-running NBC television series. In mid-October a Friends-themed Blue Man Group show took place, with the upholstery of the familiar couch from Central Perk given a new spin resulting from the painting proclivities of the men in blue. James Michael Tyler, who played Central Perk manager Gunther, was coaxed onstage to reunite with the most sat-upon piece of Friends furniture and joined the ranks of audience members chosen to participate in and be part of the show.
If it seems like your Vegas visit is stuck in second gear, just about any day of the month throughout the year, Blue Man Group will be there for you. They have a tendency to be ubiquitous in Vegas, so even if they've signed up to be honorary referees of a charity hockey game, they're back at the Luxor in time to demonstrate their highly evolved abilities at distance marshmallow throwing.
Photo by: Lindsey Best
On most nights there are two evening performances, with 4 p.m. shows on select dates and rare 1 p.m. performances on Nov. 29, Dec. 26, 28 and 31. Once a year during the summer, a special performance is scheduled so people who get debilitated by sensory overload can attend. Blue Man Group puts on a powerful show, with a live band creating an immersive dynamic range and cast members generating the inimitable sounds of tube percussion. Lights are intense, colors vivid, and the performers literally blend into the audience at the Blue Man Theater at one point.
But there's a message behind the apparent madness, so the Blue Men want to reach humans who have special needs as well as bipeds who easily adapt to extremes in brightness and volume. While the strong, silent trio continually refresh their shows, the concept of celebrating human connection with a wry sense of humor remains constant.
The Blue Man Group will be there for you when the rain starts to pour, like they've been there before, because you're there for them, too.
Luxor, 7 & 9:30 p.m. daily, starting at $59 plus tax and fee. 702.262.4400
