Q+A: Michael Quinn

Monday, Oct. 10, 2005 | 9:11 a.m.

When: 7 p.m. nightly. Additional shows 10 p.m. Saturdays and other designated days.

Where: Venetian's Blue Man Group Theatre.

Tickets: $88 to $126.50.

Information: 414-1000.

Blue Man Group, that cobalt-blue troupe of existential performers, has come a long way since performing on the sidewalks of New York City in the late '80s.

Today there are about 60 Blue Men performing at venues around the world, most recently in Berlin and Toronto.

The group premiered at the Luxor in Las Vegas in March 2000.

Tonight they debut at the Venetian, where a 1,760-seat auditorium was built especially for them.

Director Michael "Puck" Quinn discussed the latest developments with the Las Vegas Sun.

Las Vegas Sun: Why did you decide to move to the Venetian?

Michael Quinn: Our contract was coming up with the Luxor, and the Luxor was in a state of transition (being bought by MGM Mirage).

Rumors were flying about the buyout. Everyone was in a wait-and-see place, and we didn't want to put our flagship show in the hands of an unknown, so we put feelers out.

It was good timing, because the Venetian had decided to undergo a major renaissance within its space. "Phantom of the Opera" will debut there next year. A theater is being built for the production.

Sun: Was it hard to reach an agreement with the Venetian?

MQ: Not really. Our principals and their principals talked and everything clicked. Everyone wanted the same thing.

The Venetian has been amazing to work with. They made a commitment to become a premier entertainment center, which they weren't before. Their attitude was, "What do you want?"

Sun: What do you like best about the new arrangement?

MQ: The ultimate attraction for us is that we have total control. We're running everything. The employees are our employees rather than the hotel's employees. For us, we've had the ability with this to put up our premier peice of work -- the piece of work we are most proud of. It will be our strongest design.

Sun: Is this a four-wall arrangement?

MQ: It's close to a four-wall arrangement. But I think they (the Venetian) will work to get the word out. They are committed to being the preeminent hotel on the Strip and upgrading their entertainment is very important to them.

Sun: How is the move an improvement in terms of the space?

MQ: The Luxor has 1,200 seats, but the one thing we didn't like about the theater design was the cavernous space. You could get lost. The one thing the performers complained about was that they couldn't see the audience that well.

Here there are 1,760 seats -- the architects and designers have created a space with more seats, but they have made it more intimate. What we have now is a big improvement. We have pushed all the staging elements as far downstage as we could get them. We want Blue Man on top of the audience.

Sun: Why?

MQ: We have learned so much about the importance of intimacy. We really set about designing something that would allow more access to the characters -- that's what Blue Man has that other shows don't have.

Cirque (du Soleil) creates these things of wonder and astonishment that take your breath away -- we're not trying to compete with them, but we have a character. That is our strength.

Sun: How did you achieve the intimacy?

MQ: Our new theater has a balcony. That way we can get more seats in, and at the same time get the audience closer to the stage.

Sun: Have you made any major changes in the production?

MQ: We are constantly writing and working on new material. A couple of new pieces include the TV heads we premiered in Toronto back in the spring. Everyone had a good time with it. And we took segments out of our touring production, "The Complex Rock Tour."

We've taken some material from our shows in other cities. There's a slightly different take on some things.

Sun: Did you keep bits from the previous show?

MQ: Certainly, there are the greatest hits that everyone wants to see -- the paint on the drums, throwing and catching marshmallows with the mouth.

Sun: Sounds like there's no reason for Blue Man to be blue.

MQ: We're beyond happy with our relationship with the Venetian. It's a great partnership. Everyone is excited.

Reach Jerry Fink at (702) 259-4058 or jerry@lasvegassun.com.