{"id":280926,"date":"2026-05-22T15:13:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:13:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/280926\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T15:13:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T15:13:09","slug":"blue-man-group-show-returns-to-orlando-after-6-year-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/280926\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Man Group show returns to Orlando after 6-year absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Blue Man Group<\/a> is back in its Orlando groove, performing trademark antics and mixing in new, fresh-as-today\u2019s-headlines routines in its brand-new theater.<\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, the show features three slick-headed, silent, slightly twitchy Blue Men who communicate through music and movement. Somehow it feels too loud to be called mime, but it manages to get laughs out of a tiny move that signals \u201cDude, you got some Cap\u2019n Crunch<\/a> on your lip.\u201d<\/p>\n

The show combines nontraditional percussion, marshmallows, paint splashes, plumbing, black lights and streaming streamers. There\u2019s also a Squeegee Involved, and a three-man instrument known as a drumbone.<\/p>\n

The troupe performed in a theater at Universal Orlando<\/a> for 14 years, but closed down in 2020 as pandemic ramped up. They announced a return to town in 2024 and now can be seen in a new structure at the base of the Orlando Eye at Icon Park<\/a> on International Drive.\u00a0 That can leave a collective memory gap, and during a VIP showing, there was a lot of \u201cI had forgotten that part\u201d versus \u201cThat was new, right?\u201d chatter.<\/p>\n

Make some noise<\/p>\n

The BMG trio have a wide variety of drumming options, many made of PVC pipes that produce sounds that are a twang\/thud\/didgeridoo hybrid. There\u2019s a major bass drum accompanied by a major bass drumstick.<\/p>\n

When the main players are off doing a comedic bit \u2013 let\u2019s say tossing marshmallows into each other\u2019s mouths from a distance \u2013 a three-piece band provides the music that enhances the visuals, like live sound effects.<\/p>\n

But back to those in-flight marshmallows. Earlier this year, Blue Man captain Bhurin Sead told the Orlando Sentinel<\/a> there\u2019s no secret technique to it. \u201cIt\u2019s all practice,\u201d Sead said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of hours. \u2026 When people go into training, one of the first things we teach them is how to throw and how to catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lighting the mood<\/p>\n

Production design includes dramatic lighting effects, intensely bright (oof, that spotlight) to sudden pitch blackness. And when your eyes adjust, the performers are gone or in another park of the bilevel set completely. It can get strobe-heavy at times, the group warns before starting.<\/p>\n

The whole room is black, really, floor to ceiling and seats, and makes the colors (from paint, on screens, on shaved heads) really pop.<\/p>\n

Screen time<\/p>\n

One of the messages to be found in the show involves being disconnected from society. It\u2019s pretty pointed in one digital film featuring a hunched-over society whose light comes primarily from mobile devices. (Heads up, life lesson: Momma always said look both ways before crossing the street.)<\/p>\n

I wondered if that resonated with younger audiences or if they felt like that was bemoanings of the Blue Old Man Group. Still, some people must feel \u2026 seen.<\/p>\n

But there are a lot of screens used for effects in the show, running up the walls of theater, moving as giant panels on stage and providing narration from a digital blob \u2014 sorta Siri, sorta Tron, sorta all knowing being. (And didn\u2019t it morph into an eye right before showtime? Orlando eye at Orlando Eye?)<\/p>\n

In on the act<\/p>\n

Oh, there\u2019s a ton of audience participation in this show, both as a group and as individuals. The Blue Men roam the aisles, picking folks to go on stage. Introverts, it\u2019s harmless, but when a performer locks eyes with you, it is challenging to remember that.<\/p>\n

Not sure there\u2019s a good strategy for avoiding this. The performers literally crawl over audience members to nab a \u201cvolunteer.\u201d I would try sitting very still, not moving, looking soulless. Arm-waving to get attention or pointing at mortified companions didn\u2019t seem to impress the guys, so maybe reverse psychology can keep you out of the blue spotlight.<\/p>\n

\"ScenesThe tradition of a big finale continues with new Blue Man Group show in Orlando. (Gary Bogdon\/Blue Man Group)
\nEnd notes<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a bombastic finale, but it\u2019s not the same big-ball blastoff from the previous location. \u2026 The 600-seat theater is more intimate than the old location. \u2026 The show runs about 75 minutes. There is no intermission, but there\u2019s a dance break of sorts midway through. \u2026 The theater and its wee lobby are tucked into a small patch of land on the Universal Boulevard side of Icon Park. The building is more white than blue outside and almost feels like it could be a service building below the Eye. \u2026 Tickets run between $59 (we\u2019re looking at the back two rows here) and $107. Tickets are on sale for shows through the end of 2026. The theater has off days, but other days it has three showtimes. \u2026 For tickets and more information, go to blueman.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Blue Man Group is back in its Orlando groove, performing trademark antics and mixing in new, fresh-as-today\u2019s-headlines routines…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280927,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[558,104,28,114,266,1335,139,141,140,109,76687,76688,76689,3478,2411,106,1316,107,3434],"class_list":["post-280926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-business","tag-entertainment","tag-florida","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-orange-county","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-social","tag-social-entertainment","tag-social-theme-parks","tag-social-travel","tag-theater","tag-theme-parks","tag-things-to-do","tag-tourism","tag-travel","tag-universal-orlando"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280926"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280926\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}