Branstetter Blue?

Patrick Branstetter holds two of his favorite tickets this week: a Feb. 5, 2006 pass for Blue Man Group in Boston, and a Feb. 5, 2007 boarding pass for his flight to the NYC auditions. (Herald / Bob Eddy)

By Bob Eddy

Local buzz has it there may be another "Blue Man" drawn from central Vermont.

Patrick Branstetter, a 2006 graduate of RUHS has been called to New York City to train for one of the coolest gigs on stage, a Dada-inspired blend of percussion, visual art, science, technology, and cultural comment by three performers in blue make-up.

"Blue Man Group" began in NYC as street theater in the late 1980’s and soon grew to become a hot off-Broadway ticket, housed in Greenwich Village’s famed Astor Place Theater. Still at Astor Place, in less than two decades, it has expanded to Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Toronto, London, Berlin, and Amsterdam. On March 11, the show opens in Oberhausen, Germany, and in June it opens in Orlando, Fla. These are theaters with resident casts and 8-15 shows a week. In addition, Blue Man Group has a rock tour which appears in concert venues.

Local ‘Blues’

All of these shows require plenty of trained talent, and the Randolph area has produced more than its share. Four locals: Chris Bowen, Brian Scott, Sean Scott, and Isaac Eddy are with "Blue Man" in various parts of the world.

In 1991, when "Blue Man Group" moved from the street into the theater, the show’s backers insisted that founders Chris Wink, Matt Goldman, and Phil Stanton have an understudy, someone who could perform in the event that one of the founders was unable to appear. Chris Bowen was that first hire.

Bowen graduated from Spaulding High School in Barre, but he has local roots. His grandmother, Helen Bowen, was the Braintree town clerk for over three decades. His dad, Richard, is a Braintree lister and still lives at the homestead on Route 12.

While in high school, Bowen played in the rock band, Legend, with Randolph’s Brian Scott, who was called to "Blue Man Group" not long after his friend. Now with the company for about 15 years, Bowen and Scott are two of the five "Blue Man Group" performer/directors.

Brian’s brother, Sean, works on the technical side. He’s been with the Boston show since it opened in ’91 and handles the tech when "Blue Man" appears on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and similar broadcasts. (It should be noted that another RUHS graduate, Charlotte Phillips, worked for a time on the technical side with "Blue Man" in Chicago.)

Isaac Eddy joined Bowen and Scott as the third local "Blue Man" on stage in late February 2003. A 1997 RUHS graduate, Eddy performed with the Chicago and Vegas shows, and is now captain of "Blue Man Group" London.

Now, another local lad is preparing to join this group.

Young Talent

Patrick Branstetter began performing in the mid-‘90s as a young boy in "Free to Be Family," and "The People’s Chorus" with Patty Akley-Warlick. This was followed by a string of memorable appearances in Chandler summer musicals, notably as Winthrope in "The Music Man," as Nicely Nicely Johnson in "Guys and Dolls," and as Will Parker in "Oklahoma!"

A summer with Circus Smirkus in 2003, rounded out Branstetter’s prodigious talent. About this time, some were quietly wondering if another "Blue Man" might be emerging from the local scene.

Branstetter admits that his choice of "drumming" for his RUHS senior project was made in part as the result of conversations with his summer stage director, Charlie McMeekin, and others, who had a good sense of what might be helpful later on.

Branstetter already knew Isaac Eddy. He had auditioned, unsuccessfully, for a role in Eddy’s 1996 movie, "Mikael at 13." Though he wasn’t cast, he and Eddy struck up a friendship that continues.

Branstetter’s parents, Mindy and Tim, have been very supportive of his interest in performance. A year ago, on February 5, Tim took his son to Boston for the show. Patrick was hooked. A three-day visit to London, as part of a high school graduation trip to Europe this past summer, gave him a chance to see another performance and spend time with Eddy and other cast members.

While many who know Branstetter have felt for some time that he was perfect for the role of "Blue Man," those familiar with the rigorous audition were unwilling to be overly enthusiastic about his prospects.

"So much is demanded of them in that audition," said Joe Scott, who met Patrick at his home in Randolph when Bob Eddy brought him by for a visit, before Branstetter’s big test in New York. "You’d hate to say anything that might give them the impression that they have a ‘lock’ on the whole thing. Something like that could affect them onstage and get them cut." Nevertheless, Joe admitted this week, that when he first laid eyes on Branstetter, he thought he would make it. "I felt the same way about Isaac. It’s hard to believe that so many have come from this area. It’s really amazing," he added.

Making the Cut

Indeed, only one in about 1200 make it from the initial three minute drumming audition through to the "inking of the contract." While Branstetter isn’t "Blue" yet, he’s closer than most ever get.

One year to the day from the Boston performance he attended with his dad, Branstetter was flown to New York for a "full audition" last week. With ten other hopefuls, culled from 3500 tryouts, he drummed, acted, and took direction for two days. In the end, three were accepted for an arduous two months of training. Patrick Branstetter made the cut.

On the day he was tapped, Branstetter was asked where he was from. When he replied, "Vermont," an auditioner acknowledged, "we’ve heard about you from Isaac Eddy in London." Among those in the room who heard, and turned to take a closer look, were Chris Bowen and Brian Scott.

If all goes well for Patrick Branstetter, he will soon be joining this Randolph troika in one of the most creative shows anywhere.

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