Blue Man Group Chicago

Blue Man Group is a long-time fixture of the Chicago theater scene, and the wild, alien antics of the three silent blue performers makes Blue Man Group an exciting theater experience that's fun and appropriate for young and old alike.

Briar Street Theater, 3133 N. Halsted

773-348-4000

CTA Red Line to Belmont, walk two blocks east

Lake Shore Drive (US 41) north to the Belmont Street exit, west on Belmont to Halsted. Turn left on Halsted and travel one block south to theater.

Limited parking is available in an adjacent lot for $12 -- get there early to ensure a parking spot

$64 for main floor, $54 for balcony, $49 for balcony w/obstructed view. Balcony seats are labeled as "slightly obstructed" due to guard rails and lighting equipment. There is also no audience participation in the balcony.

Children under 5 are not admitted.

Tuesday, Thursday 8 p.m.; Wednesday 2 & 8 p.m.; Friday, Saturday 4, 7, & 10 p.m.; Sunday 1, 4, & 7 p.m.

Beginning in the late 80s as a street performance art piece, the Blue Man Group has grown into a world-wide phenomena, with performances in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Berlin, Toronto, and London. The Chicago incarnation is one of the earliest, and is located within the Briar Street Theater, an intimate theater with a long history -- it was built in 1901 as a carriage house and horse stable. The Blue Man experience begins as soon as you enter Briar Street's entrance; an extensive and visually astonishing art installation is in the lobby, featuring such important artists as Picasso, Van Gogh, Brancusi and Stanton.

But the lobby is nothing compared to what awaits. Critics may debate whether Blue Man Group is art or entertainment, but no matter what it is, it's definitely a good time and a completely unique theater experience. When was the last time you saw anything like blue painted men banging on PVC with mallets, making music out of mouthfuls of Cap'n Crunch, using copious amounts of Twinkies and marshmallows, while not speaking one word of dialogue, and make it an insanely laugh out loud good time?

The wall-to-wall music, percussion, and mess also makes Blue Man a great show for school age and older kids, as well. The first 5 rows of the theater is the "Poncho Section", named for the provided ponchos given to those audience members to help protect them from the various spattering coming from off the stage. Popular with tourists and locals alike (several of my friends have seen the show multiple times), Blue Man Group should certainly be high on your list of activities when visiting Chicago.