Seventeen months after the coronavirus shuttered the show, Blue Man Group reopens Wednesday, Aug. 18, in Chicago.
For most of his professional life, Gareth Hinsley has been part of Blue Man Group — first in Berlin and for the last six years in Chicago.
Including training, he’s spent nearly 15 years as a member of the interactive, nonverbal, performance ensemble whose members incorporate physical theater, music and comedy to comment on art, science and culture. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show’s closure, Hinsley — like many theater artists — was at loose ends.
“I’m so lucky this is my job,” says Blue Man Group cast member Gareth Hinsley. – Courtesy of Blue Man Group
“The longer it went on the more challenging it was personally,” Hinsley said. “I found it difficult to comprehend the world without Blue Man Group.”
As weeks turned into months, the married father of three had a difficult time imagining his life post-Blue Man. Not anymore. The group resumes performances Wednesday, Aug. 18, at the Briar Street Theatre, its home for 24 years.
Performers make friends with an audience member during a 2019 Blue Man Group performance. – Courtesy of Daniel Boczarski by signing up you agree to our terms of service
“I’m so lucky this is my job,” Hinsley said. “To entertain people and give them something to smile about — if I can do that, I consider myself extraordinarily lucky.”
The Leicester, England, native says Blue Man actors and musicians have a responsibility to put a smile on patrons’ faces and send them on their way feeling lighter.
“Come to the show. Be transported … and take that positive energy back into the world,” said Hinsley, who encourages audiences to “re-engage” with the “positive, healing power of theater, culture and art.”
Hinsley had never experienced the Blue Man Group performance when he auditioned as an undergraduate drama student. He didn’t get the role. But he was hired as a trainee the following year. After finally experiencing the show, he became alarmed.
The Blue Man Group plays the “spinulum” during a 2019 performance at the Briar Street Theatre in Chicago. – Courtesy of Daniel Boczarski
“They’ve made a terrible mistake,” Hinsley recalls confiding to a friend, “I can’t do anything like that … This is some terrible administrative error.”
From a daunting beginning, a career blossomed. And it remains as fulfilling today as it was when Hinsley first painted himself blue 15 years ago. Part of the appeal, he says, is that the show is ever-changing.
“You get the sense that anything can happen,” he said. “That’s a bit magical for me.”
“We on stage are itching to perform,” says Blue Man Group drummer and Roselle native Tom Benko. – Courtesy of Blue Man Group
“Every show is wildly different,” said drummer and Roselle native Thomas Benko, who’s accompanied the group since 2013.
“If you see the show twice in one day, you’ll see the same pieces, but you’ll see a different show,” he said. “You’ll see a different cast, a different vibe, a different reaction from the audience.”
Like Hinsley, Blue Man Group was Benko’s first job in the theater. It resonated with him from the first time he saw it, in the late 1990s as a 9-year-old. And he can’t wait to return. He’s betting audiences feel the same way.
“I know people are itching to see entertainment,” he said. “We on stage are itching to perform.”
Blue Man Group managing director Mary Grisolano concurs. She says audiences are desperate for the communal experience Blue Man Group provides.
“There’s something very visceral about it (Blue Man Group) maybe because there’s no language. It’s a very primal experience,” she said.
Blue Man Group prepares to welcome audiences back to the Briar Street Theatre in Chicago. – Courtesy of Justin Barbin
Grisolano saw the relaunch of the Las Vegas show and found it moving. She hopes other audiences have the same experience.
“There’s almost a catharsis of going back and being in the world again and experiencing something joyful with other people,” she said.
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Blue Man Group
Where: Briar Street Theatre, 3131 N. Halsted St., Chicago, (773) 348-4000, blueman.com/ or chicagomanagement@blueman.com
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday, beginning Wednesday, Aug. 18
Tickets: $49-$69
Parking: Available in lot adjacent to theater. Cash only. $17 cars, $30 buses
COVID-19 precautions: All patrons are required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status
