Blue Man Group: How to Be a Megastar Tour 2.1, and: Blue Man Group: Orlando (review)

Errata

Since its inception in the late 1980s, Blue Man Group (BMG) has evolved from experimenting with environmental theatre to mounting its first resident production at the Astor Place Theatre in New York in 1991, eventually opening shows throughout the United States, recording three albums, touring internationally, and opening resident productions in Canada, England, Germany, and Japan. Nevertheless, this expansion, which also includes appearances on the television programs Arrested Development, Scrubs, and America’s Got Talent, has not affected the playful spirit of BMG. Maintaining its commitment to mixing “high” art and popular entertainment in performances and on recordings, the Blue Men continue to delight audience members fascinated by the workings of “our” world, consistently mesmerized by Jell-O and shrink-wrapped Twinkies, and captivated by how paint flies off of a struck drum. Although some have compared BMG to Cirque du Soleil (for its variety show–like structure) and Stomp (for its emphasis on loud percussive sounds made from found objects), it has remained committed to its presumed objective of experimenting with everyday objects in order to create new art, music, and theatre. BMG’s recent offerings—the narrativebased, quasi-rock concert How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1, and the opening of a permanent resident production in Orlando—continue in its tradition of giving the audience agency in contributing to the performance and, moreover, of creating an amalgam of drama, music, and art that appeals to a familyfriendly audience-base.

How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1 is a unique BMG presentation in that its structure differs from other BMG productions, which more closely resemble vaudeville or variety performances than traditional drama or musical theatre. In contrast, How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1 incorporates a narrative that effectively works against the variety format, though the performance does not always benefit from this change. BMG returns to the story randomly and without explanation while also trying to maintain some semblance of the vaudeville-style traditions in which it is accustomed to working. However, mixing variety into the structure allows BMG to investigate its environment—an important feature to the Blue Man character. In light of the addition of a narrative, one might have slightly different expectations of the tour than other BMG stagings, but How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1 makes up for any structural shortcomings as the show progresses. The storyline begins with the Blue Men, as well as the audience, viewing a televised infomercial for the “Rock Concert Instruction Manual Version 2.0,” which will help turn the Blue Men into megastars. Appearing in the infomercial is Saturday Night Live cast member—and former drummer for BMG in Chicago—Fred Armisen as Rod Popeil (kitchen guru Ron Popeil’s brother), who is hawking the manual to would-be megastars. The Blue Men purchase the manual, which is subsequently delivered to them onstage, and the rest of the performance tracks the ways in which the Blue Men incorporate the suggestions from the manual into their concert.

Blue Man Group playing “Drumbone,” with the band in the background in How to be a Megastar Tour 2.1. Photo: John Kasko.

The rock concert, which pokes fun at the self-indulgence, decadence, and pretense of the genre in general, is also an exciting event even as it mocks this form. In many ways, it is an extension of BMG’s How to be a Megastar Tour 2.0, though version 2.1 is more fluid than its predecessor, due, in part, to the incorporation of more multimedia. The numerous videos help BMG transition between interacting with the audience, which has long been a major component of its live productions, and performing its songs. The periodic flashing of the segments of the “Rock Concert Instruction Manual” video on a large screen serves as...