Blue Man Show to close early in Toronto

[Jaytee]

Im hoping for cheap tickets like Lord of the Rings.

http://www.680news.com/news/local/ar...28_071448_5316

Blue Man Show to close early in Toronto
September 28, 2006 - 7:14 am
By: 680News Staff

The Blue Man Group show is closing early in Toronto. The show was expected to run for a decade, but the plan now is to close in January, after 18 months at the Panasonic Theatre on Yonge Street, south of Bloor. Toronto is the only city where the show will be shut down early. There are half a dozen other cities where Blue Man shows are still running, including New York, Chicago and London, England. Ticket sales were not strong enough in Toronto to keep it going, and it remains to be seen what the next show will be at the theatre. The owners spent 12 million dollars renovating the theatre, and it's expected the Blue Man Show will generate revenues of about 14 million dollars by the time it closes next year.

[coopaloop]

Sad to see them leave....I never seen them in T.O but I did at the Luxor in Vegas and really enjoyed the show

[YLSF]

Well, they didn't want the RFD market... I made a thread about trying to get a special discount code for us a few months back and they weren't interested. I would like to see this show before it leaves... I wouldn't be suprised if ticket sales actually improve a bit over the next few months because I think this is a show that people want to see but have waited because they figured they had 10 years to see it at some point!

[Jaytee]

I definitely wanted to see it but was in no rush to do so. I was waiting for a promo or deal to come along (the RFD way). I was disappointed they rejected your group discount.

Ticket sales will probably spike when people find out its leaving.

[Suresh]

ouch!

[airodus]

Crap i should have watched them before i left T.O. I guess i'll have to go to Vegas now. I wonder why they aren't popular in Toronto...

[joshmxpx]

Anyone who hasn't seen this show, go see it before they leave! I loved it to death! I will probably go at least once more before they shut down. Hopefully they lower prices like LOTR did.

[Headhunter]

what's so special about the Blue Man Show?

I saw them on tv and they were ordinary

I've seen them a few times on TV as well and been very underwhelmed.

[Madchester]

It's time to bring Avenue Q to T.O. I saw it in the West End and it was packed nightly. It's still going like hotcakes on Broadway. The 18-35 demographic will eat it up, it's like the Muppets meet Family Guy.

You can't go wrong when there's musical numbers called "The Internet is for Porn!" or "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist"

[robattoronto]

You gotta see them live to fully appreciate what they do. They're creative about the way they make music and their talents are synchronized in live stage.
The effect is lost when you watch it on TV I would say. And people watching stuff on TV and movies are used to expecting a lot with all the given special effects. Not the same with live performances.

I've seen them a few times on TV as well and been very underwhelmed.

[JS2K6]

On the Ticketmaster site there is a box for a "2 for $98" coupon code. Does anyone know if this promotion is going on and if so, what the code would be?

[firehawk12]

I got to see them for free... it was okay... nothing special though.

But wow, another long term production bites the dust. Maybe big time theatre in Toronto is dead.

Also, I hope someone takes over the theatre and uses it for something... otherwise, it'd be such a waste.

[sparkplug]

Unions may have played a role in the show's demise:

Doors to close on Toronto's Blue Man
Last Updated: Friday, September 29, 2006 | 2:16 PM ET
CBC Arts
The Blue Man Group, which opened its first Canadian show in Toronto in 2005, will end its run in January after only 18 months.

Producers had revamped Toronto's 700-seat Panasonic Theatre for the show, which they hoped would run for 10 years.

The Blue Man Group features three men performing wacky stunts wearing blue body paint and has shows running in New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, Boston, London and Berlin.

The Toronto cancellation, the first time the Blue Man Group has ended a production, is being blamed on poor box office.

Show faced boycott

The production ran afoul of theatrical unions in Toronto because it runs with a non-union cast and crew.

The Canadian Actors' Equity Association attempted to force the production to use union members when it opened in 2005, but failed in the attempt.

Instead the union advocated a boycott, urging Toronto audiences not to attend.

It was successful in getting the support of Ontario's teachers unions, and this blocked the Blue Man production's attempts to book school groups into its Toronto show.

The closing of the Blue Man show, scheduled for Jan. 7, is not an indication of waning audiences and cannot be linked to the failure of shows like Lord of the Rings, said Equity executive director Susan Wallace.

"Placing the blame for the show's failure on our city instead of squarely where it belongs, with the show's deliberate inability to make itself part of our community, continues a pattern of disrespect for Toronto evidenced by Blue Man from Day 1," Wallace said in a statement.

Critics also said the show, which debuted in 1991, may have lost its freshness by the time it reached Toronto.

Toronto isn't the only town where the production has faced labour troubles.

Blue Man producers refused to meet at the bargaining table with the Las Vegas local of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and face an unfair labour practices ruling by the National Labor Relations Board earlier this month.

[CHINAdeals]

You gotta see them live to fully appreciate what they do. They're creative about the way they make music and their talents are synchronized in live stage.
The effect is lost when you watch it on TV I would say. And people watching stuff on TV and movies are used to expecting a lot with all the given special effects. Not the same with live performances.

THIS is true..sad to see them go

i went to a show this past summer and it was a BLAST..highly recommended..especially if you can get student rush tix!

for 25 dollars its a steal