Experimental musical theater troupe the Blue Man Group were founded in 1987 by longtime friends Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, and Chris Wink; identical in their blue-painted skin, skullcaps, and black clothing, they soon became a fixture of the New York underground performance art scene thanks to their regular appearances in Central Park. Equal parts play, concert, and sketch routine, the Blue Man Group combined sight gags, physical stunts, and audience participation, with members of the front rows given plastic rain ponchos as protection from the hail of paint, food, and other assorted projectiles launched from the stage. The group eventually expanded to long runs all over the country, as well as international appearances and their own recording contract through Atlantic. ~ Jason Ankeny