New “Blade” Sign at Charles Playhouse

“Hysterically funny.” “Visually stunning.” “Wildly inventive.”

Those are some of the salutatory words used to describe the Blue Man Group‘s show, Tubes/Rewired/NowMoreWow, currently in residence at Boston’s historic Charles Playhouse, 74 Warrenton Street.

Since the Blue Man Group began performing at the Charles Playhouse, back in 1995, its three members have felt extremely comfortable there in the heart of Boston’s theater district. The venue, which first opened its doors in 1958 in a building that dates from 1839, easily lent itself to the group’s “multi-sensory” show, which combines elements of theater, percussion, and visual arts, in an unlikely mix with both science and vaudeville.

Audiences have responded enthusiastically, making the Blue Man Group‘s show something of a landmark in the world of entertainment.

Chris Wink, Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman began performing together on the streets of Manhattan back in the 1980s. Their trademark blue make-up helped make them memorable. But it was their talent and inventiveness that took them from early appearances at New York’s La Mama and Astor Place Theatre, through an Obie award and various TV appearances, to their current digs.

The Charles Playhouse is no stranger to their kind of transformation and high-energy performances. In years gone by, the building has served as a church, a synagogue, a speakeasy, and a ballroom, finally emerging in its current form as a pioneering regional theatrical venue.

Its new sign (pictured), which features both productions currently in residence there – the Blue Man Group and Shear Madness (one of the longest-running non-musical plays ever produced) – had to be as special as both the venue and the productions it houses. Metro Sign and Awning designers and fabricators are proud to have successfully come up with a traditional “blade sign” look and feel that aptly reflects the experiences on offer inside.

And it’s elegantly accented by a nifty canopy that features color changing LEDs to delight the eyes of both passersby and ticket-holders. Exciting!