Wilbert Joseph Dupre Sr.
January 7, 2012
The one that got away
January 10, 2012
From the time Kalen Allmandinger could hold a pair of drum sticks, he’s had a passion for percussion.
It’s a gift he inherited from his grandfather and role model, William Austin Jr., who was also a drummer.
Exposure to the blues n or more specifically, the Blue Man Group n didn’t come until college.
A friend urged Allmandinger to try out for a Blue Man role after catching the live show in New York City. Allmandinger was a perfect fit for the gig, his buddy reasoned. He’d been banging out beats since he was 2 and, physically, he was a match.
The freshman was studying acting at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
The year was 1997. Open casting calls were being held for the Chicago Blue Man cast.
“I gave it a shot,” he explained. “They told me go back to school, graduate and, if I was still interested, try out then.”
By 2000, Allmandinger, theater degree in hand, landed a callback in New York. Nearly 12 years later, he’s among the select 100 to proudly take the stage caked in blue grease paint and create magic nightly.
“I saw the show when it opened in Chicago in my sophomore year,” the Iowa native said. “There was something in it that was intriguing to me.
“I was certainly drawn to all the visceral music, the percussion in particular,” Allmandinger explained. “The characters were a little mysterious and a lot of fun. I thought it was a funny show and it looked like it would be a lot of fun to wrap my head around. I was definitely attracted to it.”
Blue Man Group’s nation tour rolls into New Orleans’ Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts Jan. 31 through Feb. 5. Tickets are $25 to $80, and are available at the theater or via Ticketmaster.
Those who’ve encountered the men in blue in New York, Boston, Las Vegas or Chicago may recognize aspects of the latest theatrical tour. The Blue Man staples are included: comedy, music and video technology … on steroids.
It’s the first time Blue Man’s theatrical gig has traveled. Previous road shows were rock concerts centered around the group’s two CD releases n “The Complex” and “How to be a Megastar.”
A rollicking, non-stop powerhouse of discoveries, both the humor and innocence of the show is universal. Remarkably, the Blue Man Group communicates with the audience without ever uttering a word.
“Everything is centered around the eyes n the windows of the soul,” Allmandinger said. The key, he explained, is being honest in the delivery; to be reactive in the delivery without premeditating one’s next move.
“If you can trick yourself into a more innocent, reactionary place, the audience will go there with you,” Allmandinger said. “You really just have to be in the moment.”
Blue Man can best be described as a state of being rather than a character-based story. “I tell people a good way to think of it is this is what we have the potential to be,” he said. “Strip away some of our inhibitions and cultural masks and this is what we might be like. No ego, just full of childlike wonder.”
It’s that wonderment that continues to attract audiences around the globe. Allmandinger has played Berlin, London and Tokyo to people’s delight.
“The great thing about this show being non-verbal is that it really translates well all over the world,” he said. “We’re not relying on music to communicate. It’s about the connection right there and then.”
Audiences’ responses may be shared, but their laughter is unique, according to the actor.
“Japanese audiences laugh in a different way than Americans,” he explained. “I’m taken aback at the way the laughter explodes in a wave and then just as quickly stops in Japan.
“In America, that laughter generally tapers,” Allmandinger added. “It’s fun to see reactions.”
And with each new audience, the reactions change, thus changing the show. “Night after night, the show’s never going to happen the same way again,” he said.
Allmandinger promises audiences an evening of fun, music, streamers, confetti, lights, marshmallows and plenty of PVC pipe.
“There’s a little bit of something for everyone,” he said. “It’s a fun show to reconnect with the child within, no matter your age.”
And to think, Allmandinger’s blues all started when granddad thought to give 2-year-old Kalen a set of sticks and a snare drum. It’s a childhood moment this Blue Man will forever be thankful for.
‘Blue Man Group’
Where: Mahalia Jackson Theater,
1419 Basin St., New Orleans
When: Jan. 31 n Feb. 5
Cost: Tickets range from $25 to $70
For More Info: (504) 287-0351 or http://mahaliajacksontheater.
com/ticket-info/box-offi ce
