Patrick Newton’s skin has been blue for the last three years.
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with him. In fact, it’s quite possible that when he’s blue, he feels the most alive.
Newton is a member of Blue Man Group, a national phenomenon that has performed for more than 17 million people worldwide since its premiere in New York.@@http://www.blueman.com/about/whatis@@
Newton has been a “Blue Man” since early 2008, when he was cast right out of college by the show. He’s done Blue Man Group full time since then and said he can’t count the number of performances he has done.
Generally, however, whether on tour or at a stationary venue (referring to the casts who stay in big cities), the group performs eight times per week.
“The great thing about this show is that it’s a living thing. It changes each night. We have so many chances each night to do different things that we haven’t done before,” Newton said.
Each cast actually has four “blue men” and every fourth night one gets a night off. Newton said that the gig has been an opportunity for him to develop as a performer.
“When you’ve been doing it for years on end, you really get a chance to know where your weaknesses are as a performer and capitalize on that to grow,” he said. “It’s a really cool community of growth and changing and it never feels old or stale.”
The show itself is part comedy, part dance party, part drum paint-fest, part crazy multimedia and has tons of audience interaction (the audience plays a role in seemingly two-thirds of the show).
“It was pretty epic,” said John Muller, who is a student at Lane Community College and was at the opening show Tuesday night. “They’re extremely good musicians.”
In addition to playing games with the entire crowd, the performers frequently enter the audience to choose people to bring up on stage. During these open-ended audience spots, the band on the risers behind the stage continues playing and highlighting the action as if everything were scripted.
Jeff Wright, a drummer in the band who accompanies the blue men, explained how the band continues playing songs while also following along with the more open/improvisational style of the act.
“Usually whoever is playing the drums is driving the bus,” Wright said. “We try to capture the mood with the music we play.”
The media aspect of the show features hundreds of technical feats, from numerous screens that are suspended on wires to live video feeds, to dance outfits that have some sort of screen across the actual suit.
Due to the frequency at which the group performs, they rarely do rehearsals before each show. The tech crew, however, does a basic run-through to make sure everything is plugged in and working in each different venue.
It takes up to an hour for the crew to paint the performers blue. Newton laughed when he described the process as sometimes one of the less thrilling parts of the gig.
“There are days when I would much prefer to go out there myself. You sit down and go through this long process. It can be somewhat painful,” Newton said.
In real life he’s not bald and so must wear a cap holding down his hair. The cap stays in place through the application of medical grade glue.
But it all pays off during the show.
“It’s a joy and a challenge at the same time to be able to connect with somebody new every single night,” Newton said. “How can I share this sense of joy or wonder? It’s honestly a lot of fun for me to do.”
@@BREAK OUT BOX@@
@@Blue Man Group@@
@@Hult Center@@
@@Thursday Oct. 6, 7:30 p.m.@@
@@$32.50-$57.50@@
@@Look out, depending on where you sit you may get some “paint debris” on you, so dress casually.@@
Blue Man Group to perform last of three shows in Eugene
Daily Emerald
October 4, 2011
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