Inside Universal Forums

Welcome to the Inside Universal Forums! Register a free account today to become a member. Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members and unlock our forums features!

  • Signing up for a Premium Membership is a donation to help Inside Universal maintain costs and offers an ad-free experience on the forum. Learn more about it here.

Blue Man Group Replacement Rumors

Shrek: The Musical isn’t great by any means, but in a theme park resort, I think it would be a really good addition and a crowd pleaser.
Shrek would suffer from a lack deeply memorable, fun, “safe” songs. It’s best song is a somber exploration on self-actualization, and it’s funnest songs are thinly-veiled anthems for equality. Although I like, “The Travel Song.”

Spongebob, as a show, is far more theme-park friendly. But, truly, a resident, variant-production of Wicked would be the most marketable option.

EDIT - Thinking on it, I would low-key love a stripped down Wicked. Small stage. Smaller cast. Deconstruct the scale a bit so the focus is Elphaba and her relationships and make a 90-minute show with no intermission. It could be a major winner.
 
Last edited:
Shrek would suffer from a lack deeply memorable, fun, “safe” songs. It’s best song is a somber exploration on self-actualization, and it’s funnest songs are thinly-veiled anthems for equality. Although I like, “The Travel Song.”

Spongebob, as a show, is far more theme-park friendly. But, truly, a resident, variant-production of Wicked would be the most marketable option.

EDIT - Thinking on it, I would low-key love a stripped down Wicked. Small stage. Smaller cast. Deconstruct the scale a bit so the focus is Elphaba and her relationships and make a 90-minute show with no intermission. It could be a major winner.
There's no doubt a smaller scale Wicked production would be the best seller, I just don't think it's possible really for any show to take up the sound stage as I don't see the room. I've done theater almost my whole life so I know you can fit a lot into small spaces backstage, but the backstage is already small and the stage is small too. Something like Wicked (even a stripped back version), seems far-fetched at best.
 
There's no doubt a smaller scale Wicked production would be the best seller, I just don't think it's possible really for any show to take up the sound stage as I don't see the room. I've done theater almost my whole life so I know you can fit a lot into small spaces backstage, but the backstage is already small and the stage is small too. Something like Wicked (even a stripped back version), seems far-fetched at best.
I think they could come up with some impressive visuals if they restaged Wicked swapping the physical sets with projection mapping. Wicked meets the DreamWorks Theater.
 
I think they could come up with some impressive visuals if they restaged Wicked swapping the physical sets with projection mapping. Wicked meets the DreamWorks Theater.
This. I think projection mapping and LED backgrounds are key. Wicked’s best moments are the intimate ones. A couple of multi-level towers with see-through screens (think Newsies), or a single wider tower that can shift left to right, would create all sorts of variety and faux-depth that could make a really cool show. Blue Man Group had the towers and made the depth work.

Like, imagine a Wizard head that’s a combination of projection mapping and multi-part puppet operated by six actors. Imagine “Defying Gravity” with multi-plane projection/video.

I think it would turn a lot of heads, and send a massive shot across Disney’s bow.
 
Last edited:
This. I think projection mapping and LED backgrounds are key. Wicked’s best moments are the intimate ones. A couple of multi-level towers with see-through screens (think Newsies), or a single wider tower that can shift left to right, would create all sorts of variety and faux-depth that could make a really cool show. Blue Man Group had the towers and made the depth work.

Like, imagine a Wizard head that’s a combination of projection mapping and multi-part puppet operated by six actors. Imagine “Defying Gravity” with multi-plan projection.

I think it would turn a lot of heads, and send a massive shot across Disney’s bow.
Get Micheal A. and TAIT on the project, STAT!
 
I could see a large scale VR experience/Escape Room working here. The soundstage is big enough that you could actually have both with something like The Void on one side and a Universal IP-themed Escape Room on the other side.

The escape room trademark is still active and it's a good location.

I would love a complete redo of the entrance with the removal of BMG and a replacement for HRRR.

The entrance for USJ with Hollywood Dream flying over the entrance comes to mind:
 
Universal Orlando has begun the process of removing the Blue Man Group from the resort as signage and advertisements for the show are now gone.

 
Universal Orlando has begun the process of removing the Blue Man Group from the resort as signage and advertisements for the show are now gone.

Now it looks like a 9/11 memorial
 
The escape room trademark is still active and it's a good location.

I would love a complete redo of the entrance with the removal of BMG and a replacement for HRRR.

The entrance for USJ with Hollywood Dream flying over the entrance comes to mind:

I mean to be quite honest, the plaza area would likely be big enough for an escape room in itself. Maybe they really will just want to keep that soundstage open for production/HHN.
 
I mean to be quite honest, the plaza area would likely be big enough for an escape room in itself. Maybe they really will just want to keep that soundstage open for production/HHN.
Escape rooms are something else, it's about the only thing that can genuinely make me angry lol

Although one themed to Universal films may be something more interesting

Also, since Spongebob is heating up in another thread, my vote is for something like that still in the theater
 
Top