Cirque du Soleil Buys Blue Man Group

It's a wedding of Vegas royalty. Cirque du Soleil announced Thursday that they are buying Blue Man Group. Terms of the deals were not disclosed.

While Cirque has been around since 1984, they say that they believe adding Blue Man Group - which has been seen by more than 35 million people in nearly two dozen countries over the past 26 years since starting out in New York - will add to their audience base.

"We want to broaden our horizons, develop new forms of entertainment, reach out to new audiences and expand our own creative capabilities. Today, we are taking a decisive step towards materializing these ambitions", said Daniel Lamarre, President and CEO of Cirque du Soleil. "We are extremely excited to welcome the iconic Blue Man Group to our portfolio of shows.

"Their unbridled creativity makes them a perfect cultural fit for Cirque du Soleil. Our extensive marketing research also confirms that Blue Man Group is a strong ‘love brand’ with a solid fan base – something else our two brands have in common.”

Cirque points to the fact that Blue Man Group has a "history and values similar to that of Cirque, the company was born of a crazy dream in the creative minds of its three founders."

For their part, Blue Man Group - which currently operates resident shows in New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando and Berlin, as well as two touring productions - says that this will allow them to grow and, like Cirque, reach new audiences. (Subscribe to local news alerts on Patch).

"Now, we find ourselves on the brink of our next chapter, and we have big ideas for the future," says Blue Man Group co-founder Chris Wink. "Only a global creative powerhouse like Cirque du Soleil could help us achieve our vision.

"Their commitment to artistic quality and originality is unparalleled and their creative resources are vast. It is an honor to join forces with their organization."

Cirque, which has been seen by 180 million spectators in over 450 cities in 60 countries on six continents, has had some financial problems in recent years. In 2015, they sold a majority stake to a Texas firm.

Photo Matt Beard via Cirque du Soleil