By Ayami Kanazawa

Recently, a popular performance group from the U.S. has come to perform in Japan. They are the BLUE MAN GROUP, which consists of three members. They are bewitching the world with blue laughter and music.

BLUE MAN GROUP was born in 1987 from the imaginations of friends Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink. They started it as a live street performance. The performance, which uses percussion and rock music but no speaking or vocals, received a favorable review. After that they started to play at the Astor Place Theatre off-Broadway in 1991 and have continued until now. In addition, they have set up BLUE MAN GROUP in Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Berlin, Amsterdam, Toronto, London, Orlando, and Oberhausen. Their music is highly regarded and they have been nominated for a Grammy Award.

I encountered BLUE MAN GROUP in 2005 when I went to the U.S. through the Sapporo University English Study Tour. Since I knew of them only from an Intel TV commercial several years before I was looking forward to the show, but not as much as I was looking forward to the ﾒThe Phantom of the Operaﾓ on the next day. However, my mind changed completely. The no-holds-barred show used musical instruments made from plastic water pipes, and included videos and audience participation. I was completely absorbed in BLUE MAN and even after the show I still felt satisfied.

I dreamed of seeing BLUE MAN again and I enjoyed watching their DVD and listening to their CDs. In the summer of 2007, the long-awaited news arrived suddenly. At last BLUE MAN would perform in Japan! I was delighted and purchased my ticket six months before the show. In December, when the Japanese performance began, I went to Tokyo with a friend who saw them at the New York show with me.

We lost our way repeatedly in chaotic Roppongi. We finally arrived at the Invoice Theatre, which was newly built for the Tokyo performance of BLUE MAN, with less than 10 minutes before curtain time. We ran up the stairs to the fourth floor breathlessly and a blue building like BLUE MAN came into our eyes. We were relieved immediately on arrival and went into the lobby. There were bare tubes and ducts everywhere like in a dim warehouse. This theater was several times bigger than the one in New York, but it reproduced the atmosphere well and my expectation rose steadily.

BLUE MAN has a unique style. For example, spectators tie paper tape around their heads and arms. Moreover, people seated near the front wear a protective poncho. You cannot be careless because paint and food flies around during the performance. I sat in the third row and wore a poncho.

The show finally began with a message projected on an electric signboard set up on the stage. The 100-minute performance was based on the New York version. I remembered the New York show and was surprised at the Japanese translation and the original ideas for the Japanese audience, and laughed at the jokes and screamed on cue during the rock music and felt that the theater was united. The overpowering show flashed by in the blink of an eye. In addition, the performers came to the lobby after the show and greeted people in the same way as in New York. One of them put a kiss mark my pamphlet and cheeks as a substitute for a signature. I was impressed by BLUE MAN and the staff because they entertained us from beginning to end.

BLUE MAN is more than just a comedy or music or art show. The energy builds and multiplies through at the performance, so the impression is unforgettable when you see it for the first time. Their show changes with each new audience, so you cannot see the exact same show twice. Seeing is believing. You should go see BLUE MAN GROUP by all means. If you do so, you will surely be taken in by the BLUE MAN Magic.