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CHICAGO — The Blue Man Group — a genre-defying, dialogue-free performing arts group comprised of people painted blue — is closing the curtains on its historic 27-year run in Chicago, it announced Friday.
The last show in Chicago is Jan. 5, the Sun-Times reported. Find tickets and more information on the group’s website.
For nearly three decades, the three-person Blue Man Group has hosted thousands of shows, including holiday-themed and sensory-friendly editions, at its Lakeview home, Briar Street Theatre, 3133 N. Halsted St.
The troupe is known for its sensory-overloaded performances combining music, mime, comedy, art and audience participation, including “poncho sections” where audience members are splattered with materials like paint.
Originating in New York City in the 1980s by friends Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton, the Blue Man Group soon expanded to other cities, including Boston, Las Vegas and Berlin. The experimental troupe came to Chicago in 1997.
Cirque du Soleil bought the Blue Man Group’s parent company, Blue Man Productions, in 2017.
The troupe will still perform in cities like Las Vegas and Boston and will debut in Orlando, Florida in spring 2025, according to the Sun-Times. A representative for the Blue Man Group didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
The Blue Man Group has performed in more than 20 countries and to over 35 million people since its first full production in 1991, according to Cirque du Soleil.
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