Arts & Leisure
Posted on May 03, 2016 05:26:00 PM
By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman, Reporter
Why blue is the happiest color
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IF ACTIONS speak louder than words, then the world-renowned performance group called Blue Man must be shouting at the top of their lungs -- except that they would not speak at all, instead, they would dance, play instruments, and do funny, crazy antics. And then the audience, in return, would shout for joy.
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“It’s a nonverbal communication through music and artistic elements. We erased the language out of the show for the audiences to take part in the communication process,” said Michael Rahhal in a press conference on April 26 at the Makati Diamond Residences. He has directed some of the show and has performed as a Blue Man since 1998.
“We live in a world more separate than ever. The show creates an opportunity for strangers to feel connected,” he added, saying that people are losing the capacity to be surprised.
“We do not have the child-like sense of wonder anymore,” he added.
While the one-and-a-half-hour theater production is scripted, no two shows are alike. The audiences’ reactions are always different, said Mr. Rahhal. But, expect that the comedic DNA of the Blue Man Group will always be present in every show.
Founded by three friends -- Chris Wink, Matt Goldman, and Phil Stanton -- the Blue Man Group started in New York in 1991, and through the succeeding decades it toured 15 countries and has performed for over 35 million people.
A quick Google search on the group turns up excerpts of their shows where one sees that in exchange of words, they use video installations and lively music and incorporate found objects like piping to create a funky show.
They could, however, be a little scarier when in character in person because they won’t speak and wear poker faces. Asked if children are scared of them, Mr. Rahhal said they get this question a lot, but says that “the kids are the easy audience.” They laugh easier and appreciate things more he said.
“The adults meanwhile wear a solid, hard mask.”
It may be harder to make them laugh, but “we haven’t had problems yet with a disengaged audience,” he said.
Why blue of all colors?
“Colors have an emotional attribution. If we use red, we’ll look like devils, yellow’s like bumblebees,” said Mr. Rahhal.
“Blue doesn’t have emotions. It can be anything, like the color of the sky,” he said.
But then again, they aren’t the only blue characters -- television and movies have a multitude, from Smurfs and Avatars to “Sadness” of the film Inside Out.
“We like to think of ourselves as our own. We are different. They should come to the show and see how we are different. When they see our show, I am sure, 100 people will have different experiences. Humanity’s reaction is always varied and different,” he said.
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