Some interesting questions, which also prompted us to pose a couple of our own that we’ve been pondering for awhile. We were contacted back by a PR representative of the Blue Man Group, who informed us that a real live Blue Man would be getting back to us with the answers to our questions. And he did! Hence, this QoD is going to take a slightly different approach than the norm in the form of a Q&A with Jonathan "Blue Man" Chapman:
QoD: How many "Blue Men" are there currently in total, in both permanent and touring shows (including understudies, if they exist)?
JC: Each show has a cast of 4-7 Blue Men, which puts the total at around 50.
QoD: Are all the Blue Men actually men, or are there -- or have there ever been -- any "Blue Women"? (We've noted in the casting call information that it always calls for men and women, but perhaps that's a legal nicety that you're obliged to adhere to? Please confirm!)
JC: All of the current Blue Men are in fact men; there was, however, a female Blue Man who was part of the Boston Blue Man cast a few years ago.
QoD: How many people globally have seen Blue Man Group perform now, would you estimate?
JC: We recently determined that roughly 17 million people have experienced a Blue Man Group show.
QoD: We saw the show in Las Vegas (when it was originally at the Luxor) and have also seen it in London. From recollection, they seemed to be pretty similar, but do the shows change over time or with different locations?
JC: Yes and yes. Blue Man Group is a creative organization and the show does evolve over time, and on a night-to-night basis the show feels different because the audience is such an integral part of the show. The different vibe of each audience affects everything we do. There are also different elements introduced to some shows to speak to the audience in their particular areas.
QoD: How many cast and crew does it take to put on a typical Blue Man Group show? Say, the one currently performing at the Venetian here in Las Vegas, for example?
JC: Here in Las Vegas we need the three Blue Men (standard everywhere); a seven-piece band, 20 crew members, and 10 front-of-house staff members per show.
QoD: Can you give a brief history of how the group came into being originally?
JC: Three friends, Chris Wink, Phil Stanton, and Matt Goldman decided that they wanted to create a unique kind of show that they would want to see -- a show that was creative because it was about creativity, and through that creativity they wanted to bring people to a place where they could feel connected and inspired to be creative in their own lives. Their influences were as diverse as modern art, rock ’n roll, technology, and vaudeville theatre.
QoD: Thanks so much for your time and for answering all our questions.
For more information about Blue Man Group and to see video of them in action, click here.
