Blue Man Group, whose comedic theatrical performances started on the streets and expanded into a multi-city empire, will end its longest-running shows in New York on Feb. 2 and in Chicago on Jan. 5.
The bald and blue silent performers did more than 17,000 performances over three decades in New York. No reason was given for the closings. The troupe is a subsidiary of Cirque du Soleil.
Despite the big city closings, companies will continue performing Blue Man Group shows in Berlin, Boston and Las Vegas. There is also a plan for an Orlando show, which closed during the pandemic and now will reopen in the spring. There have also been touring productions.
Jack Kenn, the company’s managing director, announced the New York closing as Off-Broadway has struggled since the pandemic, with fewer shows and smaller casts.
The Blue Man Group performance artists first formed in 1987. Combining music and art, the Blue Men performers are mute and always appear in threes. They rose from disruptive street performance to clubs, then began performing at New York’s Astor Place in 1991. The troupe has toured internationally, appeared on TV programs, released multiple studio albums and contributed to film scores and performed with live orchestras.
