An Out of This World Time Watching Blue Man Group

We’d be lying to you if we said Eiffel 65’s I’m Blue didn’t come to mind after first hearing of Blue Man Group’s visit to the UAE as part of their 2017 world tour. 
 

It’s difficult to imagine a blue-tinged world in reality, but between the walls of the concert hall, embracing the fun-filled, fascinating and warped blue world is very, very easy… And fun! By making their UAE debut, the Blue Man Group first performed at Dubai Opera, and will move to the Capital from the 18th for eight shows for all to enjoy. 

 

Many of us have heard of them, and possibly even seen clips of their amazing show – but until now, the majority of us probably haven’t had the opportunity to witness the action live… So we highly recommend you grab the opportunity to while they’re in Abu Dhabi! 
 

Being our first experience of Blue Man Group (meant to sound like Hu-Man Group), we were clueless as to what to expect, but as the group themselves say… The performance cannot be explained, only experienced. 
 

The audience’s attention is initially captured by a blue lit stage, which scrolls messages across electronic screens that leaves everyone laughing. We’re encouraged to wish someone happy birthday, and even congratulate a man for riding a sheep… Theatre etiquette guidelines is cleverly slipped in between, too. 

 

Immediately upon entering, you notice the first few rows of seats are covered, with guests sat in their seats with ponchos… A sign of the messiness and sprays of paint yet to come! If you want a completely immersive experience and don’t mind being splattered by liquids, these seats are a must. Dubbed the ‘Blue Experience’, they cost AED 495 for their Abu Dhabi shows.
 

The lights dim, and onstage the three bald blue men take centerstage, each with an instrument and lights behind them… The start of the show and the bass heavy entrance theme can only be described as a tad psychedelic. The audience cheers, and people are already dancing in their seats. 
 

What follows is a fast-paced sequence of music, tricks, illusions, and props, plus boisterous gestures with a lot of slapstick comedy that even those individuals with short attention spans can follow and enjoy for 90 minutes. 
 

With the help of a full band – each member with their own illuminous costumes – the Blue Man Group throughout the performance create various forms of art using different methods; the most jaw-dropping being the marshmallow trick. With drums, they create artwork with paint; using their mouths, they splatter paint to create a piece a lucky audience member takes away. Using plumbing, they are able to create music so surreal it’s fantastic to watch. With huge versions of iPads (dubbed Gipads), they mock the daily struggle of creating passwords and dealing with pop-up ads. They serenade a female member of the audience, only to be abruptly halted by a fire extinguisher. And lastly - perhaps the most shocking one we’ll mention – is the Blue Man Group’s stunt of catapulting an audience member covered in blue paint against a huge canvas, with the help of staff backstage.

 

The most amazing part of the entire show? Not one word is muttered. Instead, their messages and comedic mockery is conveyed only through cleverly choreographed movements, behaviour and effects. 
 

Let’s not forget the finale, which saw the entire of Dubai Opera filled with streamers, toilet paper and huge beach balls that float atop the audience’s heads… Cue loud music, a thumping beat and lots of dancing for everyone to enjoy!