Who are those Blue Men entering the stage? They do not speak.
| Onstage |
| Blue Man Group |
| Where: Warner Theatre |
| When: March 23 to April 3 |
| Info: $32 to 92; 800-551-7328; ticketmaster.com, livenation.com, warnertheatre.com |
What are they going to do?
These are the questions people have at first encounter with the Blue Man Group — three mute, bald, blue individuals without ears.
Not to fear. They have taken the theater world by storm since they first appeared off-Broadway in 1991. Now a global phenomenon with productions in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Tokyo, Berlin and Zurich, they are bringing their show to D.C.
What the men do depends upon the creativity and improvisational skills of those individuals portraying them. The movements of General Judd, Kalen Allmandinger and Mark Frankel are backed by a band directed by Dave Traver on zither and guitar with Clement J. Waldmann III and Jeff Wright on percussion and Jerry Kops on strings.
“As we enter, we show curiosity about the audience and they are curious about us in return,” said Judd, who joined the production in 1990. One of 90 members performing around the world today, he has also worked on such television shows as “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Betsy’s Wedding” and “American Gothic.”
“Occasionally, people are frightened. Others laugh to expel nervous energy. They have no idea what’s about to happen. Sometimes we don’t either because the show is constantly changing. It’s extremely physical with much jumping and climbing about. The Blue Man is a free spirit, a simple, childlike creature who plays happily, making a mess as he comes up with new ways of invention and poking fun at technology.”
Along with its theater shows, the Blue Man Group has produced many recorded albums. Its debut album, “Audio,” garnered a Grammy nomination. It also has family-focused educational projects, including a touring children’s museum and a nonprofit charter school in New York City.
Waldmann has performed with the Blue Man Group since 1995, playing the drums since junior high school, occasionally appearing with the Blue Man Group in more than 10 countries.
“This is a wonderful show and I’ve worked with an incredible group of people around the world over the years,” he said. “This is a special situation that gives drummers a unique voice. It’s a mix of high and low tech that’s constantly updated. Pop culture is brought into play as the show asks how Blue Men can be interested in and interact with a world that’s strange to them.
“People gravitate to the Blue Man because he is checking out the audience as they are checking out him. There is no fourth wall to prevent them from experiencing a different culture. Even though our world has become tech-savvy, the underlying theme is: How do we connect with each other?”
