Two entertainment institutions that specialize in otherworldly performances are getting together.  Canada's Cirque du Soleil is buying Blue Man Group of the US, and it seems like a logical choice.

Cirque du Soleil plans to expand Blue Man Group's reach beyond its current extent of five permanent US shows, Berlin, and a unit that tours the world.  It also provides a new revenue stream, finally calming years of financial turmoil that saw a majority stake sold to a Texas firm.

Cirque du Soleil

"We saw the potential for a marketing and distributing powerhouse like Cirque du Soleil to be able to distribute Blue Man Group and make their brand better known internationally," said Cirque's chief executive Daniel Lamarre.  "The acquisition of Blue Man, for us, is kind of a breakthrough to make clear to people that Cirque is going from a circus company to becoming a global leader of entertainment," he added.

Blue Man Group

Chris Wink founded Blue Man Group in 1988 with Phil Stanton and Matt Goldman as New York City street performance artists.  They caught the eye of MTV, and their audience grew until they were able to established a permanent presence in their own theater in 1991.  After expanding to Chicago, Las Vegas, and other cities, the men in blue set their sights on the world - especially the rapidly expanding market in China, which would be ideal for the group's non-verbal percussion-based shows.

"We started to feel like we needed some help, plus we had some creative ideas that were beyond our own means," Wink told the New York Times.  "We thought of some ways that the Blue Men and their performances could go on a bigger scale."