{"id":15534,"date":"2019-09-29T12:19:30","date_gmt":"2019-09-29T19:19:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=15534"},"modified":"2019-09-29T12:27:44","modified_gmt":"2019-09-29T19:27:44","slug":"%f0%9f%8e%ad-speechless-blue-man-group-hollywood-pantages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/?p=15534","title":{"rendered":"🎭 Speechless | “Blue Man Group” @ Hollywood Pantages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Blue\"\"Last night, we the Blue Man Group<\/a> at the Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). We last saw the Blue Man Group in 2014 at the Monte Carlo is Las Vegas<\/a>, before the Monte Carlo became Park MGM<\/a>, and before BMG was purchased by Cirque Du Soleil<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I’m not sure either change was for the better, but we’ll talk about the Monte Carlo later \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

In general, the Blue Man Group was, well, the Blue Man Group. Strange. Silly. Wordless. Playful and curious. Childlike and childish. There were sequences that were great (such as the paint marshmallows). Audience participation was fun. But there was something off. The energy and madness was toned down a notch. It wasn’t the craziness I remembered from Vegas.<\/p>\n

I can’t quite pinpoint the problem. Was it the significantly larger house? Was it a seeming over reliance on technology, including a massive technological set? Was it the safety for the audience a tour provides? I’m not sure. I just know the show didn’t “wow” me as it did the first time I saw them on stage.<\/p>\n

I do not mean to imply they were bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the show. But Blue Man Group brings a certain imprimatur, a certain cachet, a certain expectation. They didn’t quite live up to that expectation; they hit the 85-90% mark.<\/p>\n

The cast consisted of Blue Man, Blue Man, and Blue Man, with a Blue Man in reserve. They were played by Meridian<\/a>, Mike Brown<\/a>, Steven Wendt<\/a>, and Adam Zuick<\/a>. Pick any three of four, because we have no idea who was whom. The show was written by Jonathan Knight, Michael Dahlen<\/a>, and the Blue Man Group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

They are supported on stage by musicians Corky Gainsford<\/a> (FB<\/a>) Drums<\/em><\/span>, Robert Gomez\u00a0Resident Music Director, Band Captain<\/em><\/span>; and Jerry Kops<\/a>\u00a0Musician\/Strings<\/em><\/span>, playing music composed by Andrew Schneider<\/a> and Jeff Turlik<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Turning to the production and creatives: Jason Ardizzone-West<\/a>\u00a0Set Designer<\/em><\/span>; Jen Schriever<\/a>\u00a0Lighting Designer<\/em><\/span>; Emilio Sosa<\/a>\u00a0Costume Designer<\/em><\/span>; Patricia Murphy\u00a0Blue Man Character Costumes<\/em><\/span>; Crest Factor\u00a0Sound Design<\/em><\/span>; Lucy Mackinnon<\/a>\u00a0Video Designer<\/em><\/span>; Bill Swartz<\/a>\u00a0SFX Designer<\/em><\/span>; Johnathan Knight\u00a0Creative Director<\/em><\/span>; Richard Herrick<\/a>\u00a0Production Stage Manager<\/em><\/span>; Byron Estep<\/a>\u00a0Music Director<\/em><\/span>; Stacy Myers<\/a>\u00a0Company Manager<\/em><\/span>; Anna K. Rains<\/a>\u00a0Production Stage Manager<\/em><\/span>; Zachary Feivou<\/a>\u00a0Head Carpenter<\/em><\/span>; Gentry & Associates<\/a>\u00a0General Management<\/em><\/span>; Bond Theatrical Group<\/a>\u00a0Tour booking, Marketing, and Publicity Direction<\/em><\/span>; and Networks Presentations<\/a>\u00a0Production Management<\/em><\/span>. The production was directed by Jenny Koons<\/a>. The original creators of Blue Man Group were Matt Goldman<\/a>, Phil Stanton<\/a>, and Chris Wink<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Blue Man Group Speechless Tour\u00a0<\/em>continues at the Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) through October 6. Tickets are available through the Pantages web page<\/a>, as well as numerous other places.<\/p>\n

✒<\/p>\n

I like to say that I\u2019m a professional audience, and that\u2019s why I like theatre. I don\u2019t have the creativity in me to inhabit other characters, and in general, the writing I do is limited to non-fiction \u2014 government documents and policies, highway pages, and reviews like these. I don\u2019t have the ability to take an idea and turn it into characters and stories that might be compelling to an audience. I\u2019m also a long time cybersecurity professional, and attending years of the Hollywood Fringe Festival has convinced me that the medium of the stage could be used to teach about cybersecurity in a way that audiences could learn, without being overwhelmed with technology. The notion I have is to take some broad cybersecurity themes and concepts and translate them into stories that could teach in a compelling way. But I don\u2019t have the expertise to build a story out of the idea. If this is something that might interest you, please let me know. I don\u2019t have funds for a commission or anything like that, but it might be something we could turn into a property beneficial for all.<\/p>\n

🎭<\/p>\n

Ob. Disclaimer<\/strong>: I am not a trained theatre (or music) critic; I am, however, a regular theatre and music audience member. I\u2019ve been attending live theatre and concerts in Los Angeles since 1972; I\u2019ve been writing up my thoughts on theatre (and the shows I see) since 2004. I do not have theatre training (I\u2019m a computer security specialist), but have learned a lot about theatre over my many years of attending theatre and talking to talented professionals. I pay for all my tickets unless otherwise noted (or I\u2019ll make a donation to the theatre, in lieu of payment). I am not compensated by anyone for doing these writeups in any way, shape, or form. I currently subscribe at\u00a05 Star Theatricals<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>),\u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), \u00a0the Soraya\/VPAC<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), and the\u00a0Musical Theatre Guild<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). Through my theatre attendance I have made friends with cast, crew, and producers, but I do strive to not let those relationships color my writing (with one exception: when writing up children\u2019s production, I focus on the positive \u2014 one gains nothing except bad karma by raking a child over the coals). I believe in telling you about the shows I see to help you form your opinion; it is up to you to determine the weight you give my writeups.<\/p>\n

Upcoming Shows<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Saturday night brings\u00a0Blue Man Group\u00a0<\/em>at the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). We start getting really busy in October, starting with\u00a0The Mystery of Irma Vep\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) and Ken Ludwig\u2019s\u00a0Baskerville\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Canyon Theatre Guild<\/a>. The next weekend brings\u00a0Anastasia \u2013 The Musical\u00a0<\/em>at the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). The third weekend brings us back to the Kavli for\u00a0The Music Man at\u00a05 Star Theatricals<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>),\u00a0<\/em>followed by\u00a0In Trousers\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0the Lounge Theatre from Knot Free Productions<\/a>.\u00a0October concludes with\u00a0Mandy Gonzalez\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0the Soraya\/VPAC<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) and\u00a0the MoTAS Poker Tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Looking to November, it starts with\u00a0A Miracle on 34th Street \u2013 The Radio Play\u00a0<\/em>at \u00a0Actors Co-op<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>), followed by\u00a0Big Daddy the Band of 1959\u00a0<\/em><\/a>at\u00a0McCabes<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) in Santa Monica.. The second weekend brings\u00a0Summer\u00a0<\/em>at the\u00a0Hollywood Pantages<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>) and\u00a0The Goodbye Girl<\/em>\u00a0at\u00a0Musical Theatre Guild<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>).\u00a0 The third weekend is open, but may bring an outing of our new live theatre group at our synagogue to\u00a0Eight Nights\u00a0<\/em>at the\u00a0Anteaus Theatre Company<\/a>\u00a0(FB<\/a>). November concludes with\u00a0Bandstand\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Broadway in Thousand Oaks<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

December is relatively open right now, given that we lose two weekends to\u00a0ACSAC<\/a>, and the small theatres are often darker around the holidays. I do have a hold for December 17 for\u00a0Elf\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Canyon Theatre Guild<\/a>. I also have a hold for January 4 for\u00a0What The Constitution Means To Me\u00a0<\/em>at the Mark Taper Forum, but I\u2019m waiting for the presale to start to confirm that date.<\/p>\n

As always, I\u2019m keeping my eyes open for interesting productions mentioned on sites such as\u00a0Better-Lemons<\/a>,\u00a0Musicals in LA<\/a>,\u00a0@ This Stage<\/a>,\u00a0Footlights<\/a>, as well as productions I see on\u00a0Goldstar<\/a>,\u00a0LA Stage Tix<\/a>,\u00a0Plays411<\/a>\u00a0or that are sent to me by publicists or the venues themselves. Want to know how to attend lots of live stuff affordably? Take a look at my post on\u00a0How to attend Live Theatre on a Budget<\/a>. Want to learn about all the great theatre in Southern California? Read\u00a0my post on how Los Angeles (and its environs) is the best area for theatre in the Country<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last night, we the Blue Man Group at the Hollywood Pantages\u00a0(FB). We last saw the Blue Man Group in 2014 at the Monte Carlo is Las Vegas, before the Monte Carlo became Park MGM, and before BMG was purchased by Cirque Du Soleil. I’m not sure either change was for the better, but we’ll talk Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,28],"tags":[479,523,524],"class_list":["post-15534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-theatre","tag-pantages-hollywood","tag-reviews-2019","tag-theatre-2019"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15534"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15537,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15534\/revisions\/15537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cahighways.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}