Home
Reviews
UK Reviews

STOMP

Mel Cooper
4
Reviewer's Rating

This unique show featuring non-stop movement and percussion continues to tour and, if anything, in this incarnation, is better and more appealing than ever. The team of dancers is impeccable in its timing, performing extraordinary feats that are both breathtakingly precise and imaginative. Part of the pleasure of the show is marveling and how they pull off the extremely difficult routines. If you have not seen the show, you probably cannot really imagine its content or impact despite the photos of people hurling themselves about with garbage can lids on their feet. Believe me, it is much more varied and imaginative than that.

The show has a circular structure and is full of surprises, astonishing athletics and an amazing amount of variety considering that it’s basic and simple in its premise and mainly comprises a lot of percussion and moving about to the rhythms of that percussion. But the energy and innovative variations on the theme are phenomenal. The show is also a mime. The audience is, at times, involved and has to clap out rhythms and respond to wordless instructions from the stage. Non-stop for nearly two hours, the team on the stage never lets up, and never stops engaging with the audience; and the best of the older routines I saw last time round have certainly been brilliantly supplemented by new material – but do not fear; the dustbin dance climax is still in the show.

The physical comedy is some of the best you will see outside of reruns of silent films, totally wordless, immediately comprehensible, and utterly captivating. The show was originally created in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991 by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, so we are coming up for a 25th anniversary celebration soon. It still comes across as fresh and remarkably witty throughout; is genuinely breathtaking in most of its routines; and is, of course, very loud. You should see it if you can; but if you have sensitive ears take along some earplugs. I also think it is a fine family entertainment. The show is touring extensively in several countries; and also continues to play in London after 13 years. I recommend it highly! Catch it wherever you can. For more information see: http://www.stomponline.com/.

 

83% off tickets via: http://www.cheaptheatretickets.com/stomp/

Mel Cooper
Reviewer (UK)
Canadian-born Mel Cooper first came to the UK to study English Literature at Oxford University and stayed. He was captivated by the culture and history of Britain, which he found to be a welcoming and tolerant country. After working in highly illustrated, non-fiction publishing for over a decade, he founded and edited the magazine Opera Now. Since then he has worked as a consultant to the Japanese broadcaster NHK, a broadcaster on British Satellite Broadcasting, a maker of audio shows and arts critic for several airlines, and as one of the team that started Britain’s first commercial classical music radio station, Classic FM, on which he was both a classical music DJ and creator and presenter of shows like Classic America and Authentic Performance. Throughout this period, he also lectured in music and literature in London and Oxford and published short stories in Canada. After working with the Genesis Foundation on helping to fund arts projects, he continues to write, review and lecture on music and literature. His first novel has just been published as an e-book. The title is City of Dreams. It is the first volume of a projected saga called The Dream Bearers. You can find the Kindle version of the book on Amazon.

Related Posts