You can't smoke a cigarette on stage in a Berkeley theater without notifying local authorities and posting many a warning placard, so it shouldn't come as a shock that we live in one of the more sensitive places in the nation when it comes to our entertainments. Enter Stan Michelman, who has filed suit against the Blue Man Group and SHN for the harm he suffered during a 2011 performance by the group, in which a blue ball came flying at him without warning. Perhaps he's just gunning for a role on Arrested Development and someone should call Bob Loblaw.

Michelman, who hails from Novato, attended a June 2011 performance by Blue Man Group at the Golden Gate Theater, which is operated by SHN (Shorentein Hayes Nederlander). If you're not familiar, the show features a group of wide-eyed bald men, painted blue from head to toe, who play fanciful instruments and joke with the audience on themes of alienation, technology, and innocence, all without talking. Michelman claims that during the performance, a rubber ball was hurled from the stage at his person, without any prior warning, and from said ball he suffered "shock and injury to his nervous system" as well as "great mental, physical, and nervous pain and suffering." He's seeking damages, legal fees, and medical expenses, which alone exceed $40,000, allegedly.

He'll have his day in court, before a Marin Superior Court judge, on November 4, as the Marin IJ reports.

Blue Man Group dates back to an Off-Broadway production from 1991 which ballooned into a multi-city sensation with multiple casts, with a touring company as well as permanent residencies in Las Vegas, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Orlando.

[Marin IJ]