Workers and technicians are hard at work preparing for the Blue Man Group’s return to Orlando, right down to positioning and hammering the PVC pipes that will be one of the ensemble’s signature instruments.
The new show opens May 1 at the newly built Blue Man Theater at Icon Park on International Drive. The performance once again centers around a trio of blue-skinned, smooth-headed men who interact with their surroundings and the audience without uttering a word. They communicate through movement, music, visual effects, and unexpected humorous moments.
“It’s a really great opportunity to build a show from the ground up,” said Orlando Blue Man captain Boleyn Sheed. “I think you’ll definitely see a lot of new elements in this show, but I think there’s still some of the old soul of Blue Man.”
The group continued to perform at Universal Orlando for 14 years and more than 6,000 shows until the pandemic hit in 2020. The show was closed. Like much of Central Florida’s tourism industry, in early 2021; It won’t restart.
However, things changed again with the announcement in 2024 that Blue Man would be moving into a building built for them near I Drive. The bright white curved-roof theater, with blue trim, of course, is located near the base of the Orlando Eye Ferris wheel on the Universal Boulevard side of the Icon Park entertainment complex.
“This is custom built, so everything here is to our specifications,” Seed said.
The theater can accommodate 574 spectators and has black floors, walls, and ceilings. The seats are dark blue. The stage is two stories high and features musicians and a large digital screen that allows for interaction with the audience and performers. On either side of the stage are towering masses of PVC pipe. The building includes a small lobby and merchandise area, as well as dressing rooms and backstage office space.
Kevin Connolly, head of musical instruments, works on a PVC during a media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Blue Man Group shows are scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
The new 574-seat Blue Man Theater is located next to the Orlando Eye at Icon Park on International Drive. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Construction work continues on the new Blue Man Theater, the new home of Blue Man Group at Icon Park. The first show is scheduled for May 1st. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
A media tour of the new Blue Man Theater will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The Blue Man Group show is scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Zachary Olson (from left), Head of Automation; Daniel Pulley, carpenter manager; Kevin Connolly, Head of Musical Instruments; On Thursday, instrument technician Bruno Hufret is working on the PVC in the new Blue Man Theater. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
From left to right: Zachary Olson, Head of Automation; Kevin Connolly, Head of Musical Instruments; and instrument technician Bruno Euffret. Work on this PVC during a media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Blue Man Group shows are scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
PVC during media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The Blue Man Group show is scheduled to open at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Director of Carpentry Daniel Pooley works on PVC during a media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Blue Man Group shows are scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
Boleyn Sead’s title is Orlando Blue Man Captain. He performed with the group for a few months at the Universal Orlando location in 2008, but most of his time was in New York and Boston, he said. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
A media tour of the new Blue Man Theater will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The Blue Man Group show is scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
PVC during media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. The Blue Man Group show is scheduled to open at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
The lobby of the new Blue Man Theater during a media tour, Thursday, April 16, 2026. Blue Man Group shows are scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
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Head of Musical Instruments Kevin Connolly works on PVC during a media tour of the new Blue Man Theater on Thursday, April 16, 2026. Blue Man Group shows are scheduled to begin at Icon Park on May 1, 2026. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)
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“Size is very important to us. We want something that feels big, with the spectacle of a big show, but with the intimacy,” Seed said.
“Blue Man’s roots are in New York City, and that theater seated 280 or 290 people, so it was a really small shoebox,” he said. “We want to capture that intimate atmosphere, where there are no bad seats in the house and the audience still feels the Blue Man’s presence.”
Universal’s theater, once home to Nickelodeon Studios, had 1,000 seats during the Blue Man era.
Standard Blue Man fare, such as bright paint and flying marshmallows, will also appear in the new show, along with new elements, Seed said.
“When we write, it’s from the perspective of a blue man, and blue men are naturally curious about our world and how we bring people together,” he said.
Artificial intelligence is “very present in our world right now, and it’s natural that Blumen would want to investigate. … How will this impact our connections to each other, to ourselves, and so on?”
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But what about the bombastic, bombastic finale of yore?
“We’re still working hard on the finale,” Sead said, but he expects excitement, immersion and a party atmosphere to be a factor.
Blue Man Group, formed in New York City in 1987, was acquired by Cirque du Soleil in 2017. Silk continues to work on “Drawn to Life” at Disney Springs. Last year, Blue Man’s long run of performances in New York and Boston ended. The company still holds a stand-up show in Las Vegas and a touring version.
Tickets for the Orlando show can be purchased at blueman.com. Prices range from $59 to $122 per person. Start times vary as the show is 90 minutes long. The theater will remain dark on some dates in 2026, while three performances will take place on other dates.
dbevil@orlandosentinel.com
