Greenville News

Donna Isbell Walker, diwalker@greenvillenews.com 10:12 a.m. EDT May 3, 2016

The silent, cerulean performers of Blue Man Group have been described in many ways, but performer Adam Erdossy thinks the group can be summed up in just three words.

The Blue Man is “a little bit of a clown, a little bit of a shaman and a little bit of a trickster,” said Erdossy, who’s worn the blue face paint with the group for 10 years. “These three elements are always working inside the Blue Man character. He’s also a bit of a scientist, just fascinated by the world and the experiences that we’re putting him through onstage.”

Blue Man Group, which has been around for a quarter-century, puts on a multi-media show that has been described as performance art, theater and comedy, but at the center of each show are the three non-speaking guys with the vividly blue faces.

Over the years, the lineup has changed, and the show has evolved in many directions, but for Erdossy, the basic idea behind the show hasn’t changed.

“The core of the show is about how we communicate with each other and how we relate to each other as humans,” Erdossy said.

The communication during a performance is a bit of a two-way street, as audience interaction is key to the Blue Man Group performance experience. The basic structure of the show doesn’t change; it’s the audience that helps to fill in the spaces in between, Erdossy said.

And that interactive component guarantees that no two shows are identical.

“There are elements of the show, there are pieces that are dependent entirely upon our audience interaction, because those specific moments are entirely based upon that audience member. That leaves it wide open,” he said.

The process of getting ready for the show starts with putting on the blue makeup, which takes about 40 minutes. But the process is more about mental transformation than cosmetics, Erdossy said.

“It’s pretty profound to watch yourself go through this process,” he said. “It’s not exhausting or anything. It’s not like watching ‘The Lord of the Rings’ or anything like that, watching people go through 20 hours of makeup per day or something. … The transformation of it is far more intriguing and powerful than the actual process.”

Erdossy said blue has always been a favorite color, but spending so much time covered in sapphire-hued paint has given him a new appreciation and understanding of the color.

“Blue is such a mysterious and universal color. It’s a color that I think we all relate to and feel comfort in. But it’s also a mysterious color, especially the Blue Man blue color. It’s got almost a darkness to it. Although it is comforting, it’s also intriguing and mysterious.”

YOU CAN GO

Who: Blue Man Group

When: 7:30 p.m. May 10 and 11

Where: Peace Center

How much: $45-$75

For more: www.peacecenter.org