Blue Man Group-ies fill Orlando show, for good reason

Last year we told you about the athletic and artistic "La Nouba™ by Cirque du Soleil" show at Downtown Disney, a thoroughly professional branch of the Cirque franchise.
But there's another major franchise show in Orlando for which we were "la newbies." That would be the Blue Man Group at the Sharp^® AQUOS^® Theatre in Universal Studios City Walk, with its revamped show of old and new tricks that premiered in late February.
You've seen the mute, blue-headed percussionists in TV ads, print ads and even parodied a little bit on "The Simpsons" and "Arrested Development." But you've seen nothing until you've seen the show live.
Like "La Nouba," it's an assault on the senses, but with a dazzling technological boost that would not be possible even a decade ago. The new "Gi-Pads" segment (think ginormous iPads) is as smart and hip as it is colorfully attractive.
While the Blue Man Group main trio here doesn't smile or talk, there is plenty of comedy in this show, part of it improvised with an audience member or three.
The live music loud and clear (from a blacklighted house band) and the magical, high-tech, low-tech props are wild and fun.
Blue Man Group was founded by Chris Wink (who went to Wesleyan in Middletown), Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton. The three, now in BMG management, rarely perform anymore but the organization stays true to the original fun and innovation at venues in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Berlin and Tokyo.
In Orlando, an adult ticket will run you about $70 ($29 for kids, but don't take them if they're younger than 5, please), although it could be a little less if combined with a Universal park ticket (which itself runs about $120 a day for an adult admission).
The crowd at a 9 p.m. Tuesday show was nearly full, and embraced a delightful finale with its mix of big-screen word art (more terms for the human posterior than you've ever heard!) and some oversized props that careen around the audience as the boys thump out the percussive accompaniment to dance music. Par-tay in Tourist Land!

As for Universal, the big draw lately is Islands of Adventure for its Harry Potter Wizarding World, scenic for its snow-covered roofs but so crowded that there was a 75-minute wait at the marquee attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. At Universal, Spiderman was out of commission (it's back now with an update) but the still-new Simpsons ride was a real treat for longtime "Simpsons" fans.
Tip for AAA members at Universal: Use your AAA card for discounts whenever you buy something to eat. It's good at several dining venues in the parks.