This past weekend, my family of five, including my MacKids age 7, 10 and 11, visited the Charles Playhouse in Boston to see the Blue Man Group for a birthday celebration. (Yours truly! And, no, I won't reveal my age but let's just say I remember the first time we all experienced disco music. 'Nuff said.) What a mind-blowing experience -- and the kids absolutely loved it!
We don't go to the theater enough -- other than the movie theater -- so a live performance is a rare treat for us. I've heard great things about the Blue Man Group but really didn't know what to expect. To sum it up, it was funny, amazing, interactive, a little gross here and there, and thought-provoking, with fabulous music.
The Blue Men (?) never, but never, break their wide-eyed, straight-faced expressions throughout the performance. They start right in to the drum-and-paint bit you may have seen on TV. Most of this will sound extraordinarily weird -- you just have to be there! -- but during the performance, they:
- Create art on-stage using paint balls and marshmallows that they catch in their mouths and, well, spit onto a canvas
- Interact with 6-foot high smartphones
- Eat twinkies with an audience member
- Walk on top of the theater seats among the audience
- Play music on PVC pipes
- Wrap it all up with a hugely entertaining, interactive, dance-inducing musical number with enormous 10-foot floating balls bounced around by audience members
The Charles Playhouse is quite small, so every seat is very close to the action. However, if your seat is on the 2nd balcony or under the balcony on the 1st level, you won't be able to get truly involved in the last part of the show, so try to get seats that are on the 1st level out in the open. Be warned; the first 5 or 6 rows may get sprayed with paint or other projectiles -- ponchos are provided.
My children all loved the show and were just the right age for it. There were some "naughty bits", so to speak, but most of it went right over the kids' heads. Children under 6 may be overwhelmed at the lights and music or weirded out by the Blue Men and some of their antics. There is also some pretty fast reading involved -- messages that appear on the 6-foot high smartphones -- which will be missed by most children under 10, unless they're superfast readers. I definitely would not recommend the show for any child who has sensory issues or who doesn't like the dark, lights, or loud music. One of my children has some behavioral challenges and it was very hard for her to stop talking during the show, because she needed to share all of her amazement and thoughts about everything that was going on.
It's rare for us to all experience something completely new as a family -- usually we're bringing the kids to something that we already know and love -- so experiencing the Blue Man Group together was a wonderful family adventure. I really enjoyed watching the wide-eyed wonder on my kids' faces, and I'm sure they saw the same expression on mine. On Sundays, the show is at 5 PM, ending at about 6:30. The Blue Men are in the lobby after the show and will pose (expressionlessly) for as many photos as you like with family members. Since the show ends pretty early on Sundays, it's easy to make a day of it, with a visit to downtown Boston and some shopping, the show, and then dinner at one of the many nearby restaurants. Kids eat free at PF Changs at the Park Plaza if you show your Blue Man Group tickets. Also, if you park at the 200 Stuart Street Garage (same building as the Revere Hotel), you can pick up a validated ticket at the theater so your parking is only $10.
Learn more and purchase tickets at
http://www.blueman.com/boston/about-show
I received complimentary tickets for the purpose of this review; no other compensation was received. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
