Hugely popular Broadway show ends after 34-year run

New York City's theatre country has go little blue. 

Blue Man Group, the beloved 34-year-old Off-Broadway amusement featuring 3 head-to-toe blue-painted drummers, took its last bow astatine the theatre wherever the accumulation began. 

The amusement shuttered its New York City accumulation connected Sunday, February 2. 

The amusement had been a mainstay astatine the Astor Place Theatre since 1991, erstwhile George H.W. Bush was president and Magic Johnson played his last play for the Lakers. 

'For implicit 30 years, 3 bald and bluish men person taken millions of radical beyond immoderate connection barrier, introducing a caller imaginative creation signifier done music, drama and unexpected elements of surprise,' the accumulation said. 

For astir 18,000 performances successful the iconic 200-seat theatre, audiences laughed astatine bald, speechless men who banged connected PVC pipes and Cap'n Crunch cereal boxes for an hr and a fractional with nary intermission. 

Spectators often exited the theatre with flecks of bluish overgarment splattered connected their faces, portion formed members near strands of toilet insubstantial scattered passim the theatre's seating. 

Ticket prices roseate to astir $118 a seat, per TicketSmarter. 

'Blue Man Group is 1 of those things that exists successful civilization and yet I person zero hint WHY I cognize it,' 1 Redditor said successful absorption to the closure news. 'Regardless, what I cognize of them [is they're] amusive and creative, but I ideate with truthful galore different options, the NY amusement has conscionable benignant of gone past its beingness expectancy.'

The wordless accumulation captured a request for silliness successful the aboriginal 1990s taste zeitgeist and influenced shifts successful accumulation styles receiving big-money backing successful New York. 

The accumulation besides benefitted from star-studded features and awards recognition.  

Performers from the amusement archetypal appeared connected 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' successful 1992, and made 16 different appearances connected the TV show. The radical won a Grammy Award for their creator endeavors successful 2001. Even Arrested Development included large plotlines starring the troupe. 

But now, the show's New York City closure marks a play of important modulation for the show creation brand. 

The company, owned by Cirque du Soleil since 2017, besides ended its Chicago accumulation successful 2025 and announced plans to unfastened a amusement successful Orlando, Florida, successful April. 

Meanwhile, different Blue Man Group performances proceed successful Boston, Las Vegas, and Berlin. 

Blue Man Group volition permission an indelible people connected the city's theatrical scene. The show's show benignant mixed music, theater, acrobatics, humor, and show creation into a bare-bones acceptable design. 

'We were shocked — delightfully shocked — erstwhile a batch of radical started coming,' Phil Stanton, 1 of the show's creators and the pb acceptable builder, told The New York Times.

As continued commercialized successes amazed the show's writers, dozens of shows utilizing akin styles received large backing sources from theatrical producers.

Shows similar 'Stomp', 'Sleep No More', and Cirque Du Soleil's Broadway debut, 'Paramour', deployed akin assemblage engagement strategies successful their performances.

A typical for Cirque Du Soleil didn't instantly respond to a petition for comment.