Drums, science, paint, silence. Many wouldn’t believe that combination to be successful, but on Friday, March 10th, the Blue Man Group did just that. Live from Chicago’s Briar Street Theatre, a trio of extraterrestrial men put on a show to remember. The performance began with a digital message that flashed in red letters across the screen, adding wit, humor and audience interaction. Suddenly, the show began with the outline of the three drummers, each beating out a different beat and pantomiming actions to make the show humorous. From this extraordinary act, the group made eating a banana and playing the drums simultaneously entertaining. And then the real show began.

Each member of the group added an incredible aurora to the act, giving each character a personality that the audience can identify with even though all three are identical. The cyan creatures continued the performance by having one play the drums, and the other two throwing some paint onto the surface. In every act that was performed the percussionists would wear a face of curiosity and amusement as if this was something new to them and had never been done. Another amazing part of the show, was how the acts would use everyday objects or appliances and change it into something incredible. These acts included marshmallow art, toilet paper mayhem, even creating music out of eating Captain Crunch.

The band had incorporated an enormous amount of creativity. For example, creating a killer beat out of a couple of sewer pipes or adding a silent humor to a dinner date with a random audience member. Being involved with the audience was a large part of the show; for instance, sneaking into the audience like a navy blue lion on the hunt for an unsuspecting victim. Although much of the audience’s role seemed to have been scripted, such as having a flashing sign of “YOU’RE LATE,” as two victims came into the theatre twenty minutes after the show had started.

The Blue Man Group does more than just entertaining people, they are also in an organization that raises money for AIDS. They have already raised 4 million dollars and every donation was worthwhile. Overall I would definitely give this group two thumbs up, as they had an excellent grasp on how to engage the audience and kept them on their toes with new acts and different spins on things. I for one, was definitely feeling blue when it was over.