story by Ariel Sundel
photo by Ken Howard

"Time flies by when you’re a blue man," says Jason McLin of the past five years he has performed in the Blue Man Group. He, along with fellow blue man Dan Carter, broke character from their curious, mute, and drumming stage persona to talk to Chicago Innerview about the music behind the blue.
 
"It’s not easy to become a blue man," Dan says, before breaking down the eight weeks of training that include music, drumming, character work, and throwing marshmallows and catching them in your mouth. "We still have throwing and catching sessions to practice," he adds. Both Jason and Dan were trained actors before becoming blue, Jason having trained in Chicago and Dan in London. But for Jason, "the musicianship was new for me." Dan, however, had been drumming since his teens, and up until his audition was a session singer in London, recording and touring the U.K. with other artists. With a background in musical theater, he "was in West End musicals singing eight shows a week, six days a week. So my voice was very strong." But you’ll have to take his word for it, because blue men do not speak or sing a word.

Despite differences in musical experiences, both blue men chose the PVC instrument as their favorite from the show. This funky looking arrangement of different lengths of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes looks like it could be a long lost cousin of the organ. But as Dan observes, "When that comes out you don’t know it’s an instrument. And I know that from the reaction from the front part of the theater because they think that something’s gonna fly out!" Which wouldn’t be unusual for a performance, as they sometimes chuck objects into the crowd. (Audience members in the front get ponchos to shield themselves from paint and random food substances that have been known to fly from the stage.)

But to the crowd’s relief, all three blue men take positions behind the instrument and hit foam rubber paddles against the tubes percussively to produce a musical experience that is "pleasing on the eye as well" as the ears, Dan explains, because the instrument was designed so "we never cross our hands over." Designed specifically for Blue Man Group, it is not easy to play. As Jason points out, details like "the direction the paddle hits the tube dictates sometimes whether the note is sharp or flat." Dan adds, "You have to have the skill of a drummer to keep your arms going as the percussive element…It’s incredibly difficult to master."

The blue men drumming on stage, however, add an additional listening obstacle. "It’s incredibly loud on stage," Dan says, especially "when we’re playing that huge, big drum." So instead of wearing in-ear monitors like the band, "most guys wear hearing protection." Additionally, "it takes a while to learn what to listen for and where to position yourself on the stage."

Being a part of this dynamic ensemble means that each person plays a role that has a direct effect on the performance. For example, Dan says that if any performer decides "they want to slow down or push it quicker or put something in, we’ll follow. Everyone has to follow...it’s a real give and take." And this whole group dynamic of the show is a very important one. "Blue Man [Group] is very community-based as a whole," Jason says. In fact, of all the places where Dan has performed (NYC, London, Boston, Amsterdam, and Chicago), he claims Chicago is his favorite because of the "community feel behind the scenes."

The ensemble aspect of the show undoubtedly inspired the community that developed around it. But the character of the blue man itself also plays a role. "There’s very little ego involved in the show, which is part of actually the character himself, that he has no ego," Dan says. "And that kind of continues backstage." But another part of the character is the curiosity and explorative nature that blue men have; they are constantly discovering new things with the excitement of a child experiencing something for the first time. Improvisation is used to maintain this excitement and keep the show fresh. "You really have to be open to everyone and to the situation," Jason says.
 
Blue Man Group is more than just three strange blue creatures beating on drums. The highly trained actors and musicians behind the blue also work as a group, with each other and their instruments, to help blur the lines between music and art.

Blue Man Group performs at the Briar Street Theatre throughout January.