Blue Man Group in Orlando, Florida
Performance Review at Universal CityWalk
The Orlando version of the famous multi-media extravaganza will rock, roll, bang, dance, and spit its way into your heart.
The first thing you notice upon entering the 1,000-seat AQUOS Theatre at Universal CityWalk at Universal Orlando Resort is the tubes. Brightly colored cloth tubes hang from the light fixtures above the massive auditorium, pictures of tubes are projected as a backdrop, and two huge vertical tubes of clear liquid balance each other on the left and right side of the stage. Tubes, pipes, plumbing, and the liquids and sounds that pass through them factor prominently into the big, splashy production numbers performed by the Blue Man Group at Orlando’s new attraction.
Based on the original Off-Broadway show that has turned into an international multi-media phenomenon with television specials, commercials, concert tours and franchises, the Orlando version of the Blue Man Group retains three black-clad performers with blue gloves and blue greasepaint and vinyl covering their faces and bald heads, which make them virtually identical and anonymous. The Universal CityWalk show opened during the summer of 2007 and features much of the same material as the original, plus some extras added to make this particular show distinctive from other Blue Man Group venues around the world.
The Orlando Version Rocks
The Orlando version includes interactive plumbing, paint-filled drumming, marshmallow art, mini-cam shenanigans, cereal crunching, a rock concert movement primer, funny sign reading, paint spitting, a romantic Twinkie dinner, and lots and lots of percussion music. Four musicians performing high over the stage look like colorful Day of the Dead skeletons, and complement the onstage percussion.
Appropriate for all ages, although perhaps too intense for the youngest tots, Blue Man Group plays with sound, light, and perception – all without uttering a word. Strobe lights are used twice during the show, plus simultaneous music and streamers (100 percent recycled), and the three performers literally stroll on top of the auditorium seats, all of which can be overwhelming for more sensitive audience members. The first four rows have plastic ponchos provided as splashguards against the paint, food, and other goodies that come flying from the stage.
Lots of Interaction
Like the original small-venue production, the entire performance is interactive to some extent, occasionally to its detriment (as the one-on-one interplay loses some of its impact for the other 999 people watching the show). During the 5 p.m. September 15, 2007 performance, the older woman volunteer called to the stage was as comfortable, funny, and prepared as the Blue Man Group performers. Likewise, an off-stage prank with a man from the audience that was projected on the video screen seemed far too dangerous to be performed on a stranger without first getting a complete medical history and a doctor’s okay. While oddly entertaining, these interactive elements felt a little disingenuous and might leave you wondering whether you had just been duped or entertained (or both).
The performance should thoroughly entertain all but the most jaded theater and concertgoers. Not recommended for children under the age of three, the Blue Man Group show lasts for one hour and forty-five minutes with no intermission. Although the ticket price does not include admission to the theme park, ticket stubs do provide free entry into selected clubs at CityWalk. If you’re coming to Orlando, don’t miss this show.
“Blue Man Group”
- Multimedia theatrical/musical performance
- Sharp Aquos Theatre, Universal Orlando Resort, Orlando, Florida
- Tickets and daily show times
- Cost: $59 and $69 adults; $49 and $59 children ages 3-9, plus tax and service charge.
- Parking: Free after 6 p.m.; $11 for the day; $12 motor coach/RV; $18 valet.
- Handicap accessible; assistive listening and descriptive narration programs available.
For more information about Florida entertainment, read Standup Comedy in Florida and Florida Location Survival Guide.
