Blue Man Group555

Blue Man Group incorporates almost everything you've tried to convince your children not to do - spitting/regurgitating food and paint, unspooling miles of toilet paper, climbing over furniture, throwing things - and, as a result, this is one show kids positively adore.

The ambiance at the Astor Place Theatre is very intimate, so the odds are good that no matter where you're seated you will eventually come eyeball to eyeball with one of the three blue, poker-faced, men. One might toss you a marshmallow, or use your head for balance, or pull you up onstage.

Reading skills are a plus for this show; red LED oblongs feature prominently, and there is a very funny section wherein the audience is directed to read one (and only one) of three 12-part posters.

A new segment of the show is dedicated to animation, and offers an extraordinary moment when a "picture" seems to come to life. Ruminations on the roles art plays may be over most kids' heads, but conversations and discussions based on what the family sees here will almost certainly ensue.

The Blue Man Group show is deliriously fun, fast, and loud, and one of the best evenings of theater you're likely to find.

The show runs roughly one hour and 45 minutes, with no intermission. Food and drink are allowed in the theatre, but only stuff that you buy from the concession stand.

Souvenirs include stickers, CDs, T-shirts, and programs, and cost anywhere from $1 to $25.

Tickets are available through TicketMaster. Seats in the first rows of the orchestra (AA-EE) come with disposable plastic ponchos, for very good reason.

Ask for first row Mezzanine for excellent seats with a bit more leg room. The only limited view seats in the house are the last three rows in the orchestra (rows QQ-SS).