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Ensconced in its new home at the Venetian, the Blue Man Group offers a lot of its tried-and-true winning formula as well as some fresh tricks.
If you've been living in a cave on the Pakistani-Afghan frontier, here's the rundown: Take three grown men, cover them in blue paint and then set them loose on stage with props that include the inventory from Sherwin-Williams, drums and PVC tubing, and Cap'n Crunch cereal and Twinkies.
Mute throughout the performance, the trio communicate easily with one another through subtle expressions and body language, their most common expression being a sense of wonderment at what they are doing. In the show's opening sequence, two of the troupe pound some tall, interior-lit drums. Unremarkable until the third spills some vibrant paint on the surface. The result is a stunning yet simple display, as red and yellow erupts in glowing sprays.
The childlike joy it creates is shared by not just the performers but also the audience, and sets the tone for the remainder of the 90 minutes. Attendees share in the fun directly, too, as the trio often go into the aisles, pulling people to their feet for a round of applause, bringing one young lady onstage to take part in a subtle romantic quadrangle, and a man who goes backstage where he is supposedly used as a human paint brush. The custom-built theater is as stunning as the show, with a clean, modern and expansive lobby; more seating but with a more intimate feel, and jaw-dropping visuals that accompany the seven-member rock band who provide the Blue Man Group's live soundtrack.
Most impressive of the new bits consists of the trio emerging from the wings with TVs where their heads should be, videos of their faces on the screens. What follows is a wonder of synchronization as the taped heads react to one another, and to the performers' own movements, including some fun with a TV remote control.
While the show lacks the depth of Shakespeare and the aesthetic awe engendered by a Cirque du Soleil performance, the company, which had its start in New York in 1991, still provides an electric-fun evening sure to appeal to the kindergartner in all of us.