Full Stomp Ahead: Why You Need to Stop Everything And Buy Stomp Tickets Now

Kipp Whittaker | Jul 12, 2016 8:30 am | Add a comment | 1731 reads

It’s easy to see why Stomp has lasted 25 years and become one of the most popular stage productions is the world. It takes more than having fit people in baggy clothes pounding on garbage night after night to make a good show. It takes vision, innovation, and guts, and time has shown us that Stomp has it all.

Stomp was initiated in 1991, as the result of a 10-year collaboration between its creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. The show immediately went from small theaters across the UK to world tours and full capacity bookings. It has since been a constant off-Broadway production, and their skills have been commissioned for film, television, and by other musicians wanting to capture a bit of that distinctive rhythm.

The signature Stomp style that directors Cresswell and McNicholas created together blends dance, juggling, and stage combat with complex percussive performance. Can you imagine the job interview for this gig? It would be a treacherous ordeal filled with trash can lid bashing and broomsticks flying at your head.

We think it would be amazing if during their return visit to China, these junkyard percussionists did a collaboration with a Peking Opera troupe. There is no doubt in our minds that the Stomp crew would be creating a lot of new noises with the unusual trash they could find in Beijing’s hutongs, and this mixed with the shrill voices of Chinese opera singers would just be a riveting theater experience. Just a little food for thought.

The music is only one part of the Stomp experience. There is also a lot of acting going on. Though there is a complete absence of words, the performers use dance, facial expressions, and even a of couple lewd gestures to create simple narratives grounded by one banging song after another. This, in our opinion, wiill make Stomp a massive hit in Beijing because it’s a form of theater that can be universally appreciated without being bogged down by language.

This can be a fortuitous departure for the avid theatergoer just looking for something fun and different. It is said that timing is everything when it comes to both comedy and percussion, and it wouldn’t be out of tune to say Stomp’s production is spot on in both of these departments. Finally, and most importantly, the kids will love it!

For more information about how to buy tickets, check out the full event listing here.

This article first appeared in our magazine. Read the rest of the Beijinger July/August issue here.