On this bonus episode, in honor of The Blue Man Group's NYC exit, we're playing a favorite story about, you guessed it, The Blue Man Group. This episode was hosted by Marc Sollinger. Storyteller: After many years in the legendary Blue Man Group, John Grady makes a profound connection with an audience member. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Chapter 1: Why is The Blue Man Group leaving NYC?
Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Mark Sollinger, coming at you with a special bonus episode. We're feeling a little blue today because we learned the Blue Man Group just ended its New York run. And no, I do not apologize for the pun. The Blue Man Group is still going with shows in Boston, Las Vegas, and Berlin, but its New York closing reminded us of one of our favorite stories from our archive.
And we thought we'd share it with you. Oh, and if you're not familiar with the Blue Man Group, well, just listen to the story. John Grady told us at a Moth main stage that we produced in collaboration with Blue Man Group, with musical interludes performed by Blue Men, and held at Astor Place Theatre, the now former New York City home of Blue Man.
The theme of the night was, appropriately enough, Tangled Up in Blue. Here's John, live at the Moth.
Chapter 2: Who is John Grady and what was his role in The Blue Man Group?
There we go. So I spent eight years of my life here in New York City performing with Blue Man Group. Thank you. Thank you. I know. No, it's like, seriously, dream job. I'm serious.
Chapter 3: What skills did John Grady learn from being a Blue Man?
I mean, where else do you get to learn, you know, to be a precision expert drummer, to learn to throw and catch with, you know, laser-like focus and, you know, and also to communicate non-verbally with two other blue men on stage and with the audience because that's what it is. We don't speak. We don't talk. But it was a great job to have.
I mean, it's my first time living in New York City, my first off-Broadway show, and I'm so excited. The show is just addicting to do. Once you do your first show, you're just like, ah, I can't wait for the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one. Then a week goes by, and then a month goes by, and then a year goes by, and you celebrate your first anniversary.
And then you're like, two years in, and a few more years, and a few more years have gone by, and somehow it has become a job. I know. It's like I'm just trying to keep it fresh and alive after show number 2473 or something, whatever. And I'm finding myself trying to fight complacency because you become so adept at doing all the skills that it's just not really a challenge.
And I find myself walking through the show thinking things like, did I order food between shows? Did I remember to TiVo Sopranos? And like that. So now I'm trying to find and rediscover that thing, that original thing that really connected me with the show. And I find myself trying to recreate those early days.
Chapter 4: How does The Blue Man Group engage with the audience?
For those of you who haven't seen the show, it's primarily about the audience, about connectedness and community. The audience has gathered for the evening for this happening, for this crazy, wild, interactive piece of theater led by these three silent, bald and blue characters.
Chapter 5: What is the significance of the 'feast guest' in The Blue Man Group?
One part of the show is we bring up a volunteer, and we refer to her as our feast guest, which is not important for you to know, but just because we sit behind a table and we eventually get to dining with her. But we also take her through a bunch of tasks We're getting to know her and the audience as well by manipulating things and moving things around and opening them.
And she comes to represent the audience in a way. Because we're going to be up there making, not fun of her, but making fun
with her but I mean the audience empathizes with her because you know they're gonna be in on some of the jokes that she's not I mean they'll definitely they'll feel like oh my god I'm so glad that was you up there and not me you were amazing you were wonderful now when I go to choose a feast guest it's my job each night I look for someone who's sort of open and willing just a willing participant someone who I think best represents the the spirit of the show and
Like if I was going to choose someone from the audience here to be a Feast guest, it would be like this one right here, just very shiny, available. Yes, it's just that we just make a quick connection, like, good. So I know we're good to go. It's like that. So I'm stepping out into the audience for the first time in the show to go pick out a feast guest.
In the first few rows, people are wearing ponchos because the show is just a mess. It's just a playground for you, and it can be messy. So we wanted to make sure the audience is covered and protected. So I step out there and I'm having, it's probably show number 2474, just a little less committed to and present than 2473, I don't know.
When suddenly, bing, chong, bong, I see this shiny, happy person sitting over in the poncho section and she literally just pulls me in on her vortex. Like, wow, I can't remember the last time that I saw someone who was so... willing, so available, just so open. And I was like, okay, fine. You're the feast guest. Make my job easy. Great.
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Chapter 6: How did John Grady handle unexpected challenges during performances?
So now I'm going out to the audience to have a little more fun. The other two blue men come up to me and they tell me, it's time for you to let us know who the feast guest is. And this is all nonverbal. And I say, well, check it out. Shiny, happy person right here. They're like, great, shiny, happy person. Bring her on up. So these two guys run up onto the stage.
The band kicks into their sort of theme that's going to start our procession up the aisle to the stage. I reach down, I grab her hand, and she's just beaming at me. And she just clings onto my arm. She leans into me. She's so excited. She has no idea what to expect. And I reach down, and I pull off her poncho, and she has one arm. Which is not a big deal, right?
I mean, even though in this piece we're going to be grabbing things and manipulating them and moving them and opening them and, oh God, we're going to be up there making fun with her, not of her, and now I'm beginning to panic and I look up on stage and the other two blue men are staring down at me in horror going, what did you do? I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!
And now I'm running the entire piece frantically through my mind because I know it forwards and backwards and I am going to accommodate it for her. I am going to make, so I could probably skip that part or instead of her doing that, and actually we'll just leave that part out. Actually, he probably doesn't have to do that for her. You could probably just skip that part and leave that part out.
Actually, we're going to skip that part and skip that part. Why don't we just put it back down on the scene? Just skip the whole thing. And at this point of the show, we're supposed to be sort of afraid, you know, that we're bringing someone, an audience member, into our space for the first time, and we are terrified.
I mean, we are sitting behind the table in a row, and our knees are knocking together, you know, and there is this awkward silence coming from the audience that I have never experienced before. But she is loving it. She is having the time of her life. So I bring out the first object, which is this electric candle, and I put it on the table,
It has a little switch on it, and she leans over and switches it on. That's okay. We're good. Pretty good there. The next blue man next to me, he pulls out a desk lamp, and he puts it on, and he stretches it out. And she reaches over to click it. Click, click, click, click, click. The switch doesn't go on.
And what is about to unfold in my brain, and I'm trying to communicate with him, screaming, going, No! Don't! because the joke of the piece is it's attached to a clapper light so he goes and pops the light on which usually elicits a laughter from the audience but not this time dead silence because it was like he was saying well if you had two hands you could turn on the light
Oh, dear God, help us. The last blue man brings out a box of Twinkies for us to dine on. For those of you who've seen the show, that'll make sense. He passes them out. And the Twinkie for the blue man is a very curious object. The way it's shaped and sculpted, the way the light hits it, and the way it sort of reflects off its golden, cakey shell and
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