Blue Man Group is back in its Orlando groove, performing trademark antics and mixing in new, fresh-as-today’s-headlines routines in its brand-new theater.
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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 “Dude, you got some Cap’n Crunch on your lip.”
The show combines nontraditional percussion, marshmallows, paint splashes, plumbing, black lights and streaming streamers. There’s also a Squeegee Involved, and a three-man instrument known as a drumbone.
The troupe performed in a theater at Universal Orlando 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 on International Drive. That can leave a collective memory gap, and during a VIP showing, there was a lot of “I had forgotten that part” versus “That was new, right?” chatter.
Make some noise
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’s a major bass drum accompanied by a major bass drumstick.
When the main players are off doing a comedic bit – let’s say tossing marshmallows into each other’s mouths from a distance – a three-piece band provides the music that enhances the visuals, like live sound effects.
But back to those in-flight marshmallows. Earlier this year, Blue Man captain Bhurin Sead told the Orlando Sentinel there’s no secret technique to it. “It’s all practice,” Sead said. “It’s a lot of hours. … When people go into training, one of the first things we teach them is how to throw and how to catch.”
Lighting the mood
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.
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The whole room is black, really, floor to ceiling and seats, and makes the colors (from paint, on screens, on shaved heads) really pop.
Screen time
One of the messages to be found in the show involves being disconnected from society. It’s 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.)
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 … seen.
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 — sorta Siri, sorta Tron, sorta all knowing being. (And didn’t it morph into an eye right before showtime? Orlando eye at Orlando Eye?)
In on the act
Oh, there’s 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’s harmless, but when a performer locks eyes with you, it is challenging to remember that.
Not sure there’s a good strategy for avoiding this. The performers literally crawl over audience members to nab a “volunteer.” I would try sitting very still, not moving, looking soulless. Arm-waving to get attention or pointing at mortified companions didn’t seem to impress the guys, so maybe reverse psychology can keep you out of the blue spotlight.
End notes
There’s a bombastic finale, but it’s not the same big-ball blastoff from the previous location. … The 600-seat theater is more intimate than the old location. … The show runs about 75 minutes. There is no intermission, but there’s a dance break of sorts midway through. … 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. … Tickets run between $59 (we’re 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. … For tickets and more information, go to blueman.com.
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