Stomp 13

Stomp ’13, a sublime blend of dance, comedy, percussion, juggling, and martial arts, challenges easy categorisation.

The personalities in this new show’s cast emerge wonderfully in the roles they occupy; so well, in fact, that it’s implausible that their roles were not largely sculpted to suit.  The men in particular engaged the audience so well that they quickly had it eating from their hands.  Their comedic timing was perfect.

The entire cast’s timing, actually, was perfect in every detail.  Expression and gesture were nuanced to infuse everything with humour; the instruments, props, and settings were the products of a gifted imagination.  Well-struck lighting added dramatic intensity; as, in one piece, did drummers’ aerial acrobatics.

This is an evening of high energy, intense fun, and stunning percussive talent that will serve as both inspiration and challenge to anybody yearning to train a good sense of rhythm without expensive percussion paraphernalia.  Not that one could attain the virtuosity of these instrumentalists without years of solid practice; but they captivated us using no more than their bodies and such everyday items as garbage lids, lighters, plastic bags, and newspapers.  Each piece was more stunning than the one before, and, on the night I attended, the audience begged for an encore—and got it.

John P. Harvey

Shirley Jensen previously reviewed Stomp '13 in Melbourne.

Stomp have been around for 22 years and it is easy to see why their show has run 11 years in the West End and 20 years on Broadway. This production is slick, funny and had the audience cheering for more.  There was a great balance of high-energy choreography and quieter routines, culminating in one of their trademark rubbish bin routines.  

The set is a back wall with an upper performing level backed with a wire mesh construction, but every surface was covered in what appeared to be junk, but at some time during the performance was used as yet another “drum”. From match boxes to shopping trolleys, newspapers to paint cans, inner tubes to rubbish bags, everything was utilized to create their music.

The lighting was very much a ballet rig - lots of cross light and backlight to reveal form and the occasional special to highlight a solo. The design of the set created great shadows as the lighting played across the many items.

The sound was excellent – enough reinforcement to ensure we heard every scrape of a boot across a sandy floor or fingernail tapping a matchbox but not so loud to deafen.

If, like me, you have never seen them live, do yourself a favour - this is a great show.  

Shirley Jensen