Monday, December 18, 2006

In the Company of the Blue Men

Yesterday, Sunday, found me back in London and at a performance by the Blue Man Group, along with someone from class. It was a decidedly bizarre and weird afternoon, yet totally enjoyable.

I first encountered the Blue Man Group in Boston about five years back, was immediately seized by their act. I resolved then to catch them in action again. Many questions spring to mind. Who are the Blue Men, and why are they blue? Where did they come from? Why don’t they speak? Why do they always appear to depend on the approval of each other? And, if you’ve attended their performances, like I have, you’d also ask yourself this: What’s with the kitchen towel pulling at the end of the show? What could it mean?

Hmmmmm. Much of what the Blue Men get up to may have little apparent logic. Just sit back and enjoy the colours and the noise. But if you think harder, you’d realize that parts of it are actually a subtle satire at modern life. Why else would they present something as meaningless as a Rock Concert Instruction Manual – which outlines a list of ostensible steps one should follow at a typical rock concert? And with their childlike naivety, they often reveal starkly many of the pretences we take for granted in daily living.

And finally, let me add that the Blue Man music is absolutely fantastic. Heavy percussion, deep basses, and PVC piping. Now, who could have imagined that? Check out the video of "I Feel Love" here.

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