By: Samantha Witte, Staff Writer
As each member of the audience walked through the theater doors into the dimly lit venue, they took their seats facing an empty stage with a gray screen. People of all ages gathered in the crowd awaiting the unique and mysterious performance that was about to unfold before them. Feelings of anticipation and excitement moved throughout the whole theater as the time ticked closer to six o’ clock. All of a sudden, the room went completely dark and three male silhouettes appeared behind the grey screen. The curtain lifted to reveal three bright blue faces, and the members of the crowd wore expressions of pure amazement. The show had begun.
On Feb. 22 the Blue Man Group took the stage at the Sharp Aquos Theatre at Universal Studios in Orlando to perform their unique musical production. This group has become so popular because of how their music is made. Instead of using traditional musical instruments, the music in the show also comes from a wide variety of objects and ideas. They put together a performance that is able to captivate an entire audience with their amazing musical talent, quirky stage humor, and bright artistic visuals.
The three blue men stood at the center of the stage with a set of what looked to be two drums directly in front of them. Two of the men each had a tube of bright neon colored paint. The paint was poured onto the drums as the man in the center took the drumsticks and played the instrument in front of him. Bright drops of neon yellow and neon pink flew into the air, in sync with the beat of the drums being played. It became an amazing sight to watch the paint droplets dance in the air, as the beat got faster and louder and then slower and softer all in one single composition.
The next act was something quite out of place, yet spoke more to the audience than any words could have. Three giant cellphones dropped from the ceiling, all equipped with all of the essential apps. This playful performance went through all of the different ways that people make use of their phones, from games used to pass the time to funny videos used to entertain. Articles popped up, with words for the audience to read, and many spoke about how society is becoming very disconnected with reality and over connected to their devices. They used all of the technological sounds to create a wonderfully crafted symphony of sounds, along with some playful fun. Sounds like the turn of a page, the click of a button, and the chomp of captain crunch filled the theater to create beats and combinations of musical notes.
Something about the sound of a pipe being hit with drumsticks followed by the acoustics of a band in the background created the sense of being at a real concert. Add basic rock concert movements, like the fist pump, raising the roof, waving your hands in the air, and shaking your bottom for all of the audience to stand up and do and it was just like being at a concert. Everyone was up moving and shaking with a certain glow of happiness upon their faces as each new movement flashed upon the screen. Each person was connected to the person next to them in this very moment. They were connected through the music, through the ability to take part in the performance on stage, and through the whole group atmosphere in the room.
Following the fun, a quick turn occurred to another amusing piece. After a long suspenseful pacing of the three men, they chose the most fitting member from the audience to lend a hand in the next skit. It was a dinner skit, and it was an interesting dinner of the men trying to impress the female guest. She was presented with a strange variety of gifts ranging from flowers to gelatin to a lovely feast upon Twinkies. Her reactions mixed with the quirky gifts had the whole audience in an uproar of laughter. Immediately following the fun and laughter, there was a serious shift in the room as the lights went black.
Two electronic figures appear with cellphones talking about reality, and what it means to be real. They do a fantastic job of highlighting the effect that electronic conversations have had on today’s society. Reality is becoming slightly distorted and fear of face to face communication has become prominent in much of today’s youth. This serious topic then takes the audience to a whole new dimension with bright colors and strange figures that dance and have a good time. The feeling in the air became one of a much more playful note, and the colors and movements of the characters on stage have become captivating.
It was then time for the finale. A simple set of many pipes sat in front of the three blue men. As they played, a different color lit up the set for each note that was played. All of a sudden, those same colors started to appear on the ceiling. The colors were illuminated in various giant balls that were dangling above the audience. Then the balls dropped and the crowd hit them into the air like giant beach balls at a super beach party. Toilet paper began to fall over everyone from every single angle of the stage like giant streamers. People were yelling, dancing, laughing, smiling, and enjoying the final piece of a wonderful show. It was truly a masterpiece. Something unlike any other show. The three blue men never spoke a word. They used their musical talent, creative minds, artistic genius, and audience connection to create a show that is mesmerizing to people of all ages.
