FEELING BLUE
Find out why the Blue Man Group is comedy, theatre, rock concert and dance party all rolled into one
Fancy watching three blue, bald, mute men drumming the night away in Dubai? Of course you do. The infamous Blue Man Group experience combines music, lobster headwear, sawing Twinkies (the infamous American snack) in half, and performing percussion using nothing but Cap’n Crunch cornflakes to create a surreal but absorbing performance loved the world over. It began in 1988 in New York by three flatmates who decided to host a funeral for the 1980s by painting themselves blue while burning a selection of yuppie effigies and a Rambo doll in Central Park. The group came to the attention of MTV and they began staging small performances Soon, founders Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton, found themselves under
increased demand, performing six days a week for three years and turning in more than 1,200 consecutive performances before, finally, Stanton cut his hand and the group was forced to turn to an understudy for the first time ever – an event they later described as “catalytic”, opening their eyes to the possibilities of replicating themselves.
Soon, there were more than 30 blue men in action, allowing the group to stage shows in multiple cities at any one time while its founders created a legendary book of performance instructions to spread their philosophy to their on-stage clones – wisdom including the fact that no matter where you see them, you will never encounter more than three blue men at one time. Why? Not only are the blue men outsiders, they say, but three is also the smallest number of people that can be classed as a community.
Fast-forward to today and that community now extends to more than 500 people and, as the group hits the UAE, trios of blue men will be simultaneously performing in permanent installations in Las Vegas, Boston, Chicago, New York, Orlando and Berlin. Not bad for a trio of mates who dreamt up a slightly bonkers blue world in their unfurnished apartment back in the late ’80s.
April 11 to 15
Dubai Opera, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Boulevard, Downtown Dubai, Dubai, Tue and Wed 7.30pm, Thur 5.30pm and 8.30pm, Fri and Sat 4.30pm and 7.30pm, Dhs195 to Dhs595. Tel: (04) 4408888. Metro: Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall. dubaiopera.com