OUTscene Staff
Giant inner-tubes made for an effective drum set in one of the many musically experimental sections of “STOMP.”
The show, which has run all week at The Paramount and ends Sunday, has gained attention since its debut the U.K. in 1991. Shortly after that, it was a candidate—and won—awards for “Most Unique Theatre Experience” in several contests.
Most of “STOMP” is, indeed, an inventive amalgamation of objects used to produce tunes. In several recent morning news broadcasts, the cast was asked to gather some random items around the studio office and come up with a beat. It was no problem for them.
To open the show, some “janitors” emerge one-by-one to do sweeping, which evolves into a brilliant dance and beat with flying brooms. Pans, pipes, wheel arches, newspapers and matchboxes were used to created imaginative sounds with the finale – the deafening Dustbin Dance – waking everyone up.
There was a bit more recorded sound than would be expected, as a STOMP virgin. And several sections are puzzling in that they lack so much intrigue compared to the rest of the production. For instance, the group—whose fashion is street garb (stained clothes and free-wheeling dreadlocks)—paddles away on newspapers at one point. Not every selection must be spectacular to be appreciated, but this was a bit too “under-whelming.”
There was one technical glitch during the match sequence: one members’ lighter was sub-par in its “glow” compared to the rest. Earlier in the show, one of the guys dropped whatever was thrown at him during a routine.
The audience loved watching the cast dangle like window-washers, clanging on the building’s signs and attachments, swinging back and forth wildly.
The biggest kudos to the cast and their show goes to eliciting audience involvement. Members challenged the audience, without any verbal demands or feedback, to repeat his/her moves and claps. If the audience messed up, the performer didn’t disguise his disappointment. With a decent-size child population on hand, this was a treat for them.
STOMP has had success worldwide, with shows in Chile, Brazil, Korea, China, Japan and Spain, to name a few. Their music is taken seriously by the industry. The original cast recorded music for the “Tank Girl” movie soundtrack and appeared on the Quincy Jones’ album, “Q’s Jook Joint.”
At the 1996 Academy Awards, STOMP made a special appearance with an original piece involving live synchronization of classic film clips and onstage action.
For tickets and more information, visit Seattle Theatre Group online at http://www.stgpresents.org/
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