Stomp
How many times has someone turned around to you and asked you to turn your music
down because it sounds like rubbish? Well, take them along to see
Stomp and they will
find that music can be Rubbish; it’s really a great message of recycling in
these eco-friendly times don’t you think?
Part dance, part concert, part performance-art, Stomp really is something unique
and it’s as intriguing and exciting as it was when it first burst onto the West
End in September 2002. For those of you who are, as of yet, unacquainted with
the phenomenon of Stomp, here’s a brief overview. It involves bin lids, and
brooms, and essentially any other item the cast can lay their hands on. So yes,
there is a cast, but they don’t speak. Or move any sort of plot along in any
way, they just come on and interact with each other and the audience through the
manipulation and striking of various pieces of household paraphernalia. Yes,
it’s a strange idea for a show and, yes, it shouldn’t work but somehow, it does.
Stomp was born in Brighton in 1991 and since then has become a global
phenomenon, with many copy-cat type shows springing up all over. What really
makes the show successful is its simplicity; the idea that everyone could do it.
Of course, in reality, they can’t; if you go home and start banging about your
different coloured bins you’re more likely to end up with a headache or a fine
from your local council than you are with a hit show. Perhaps it’s best to let
the professionals at the
Ambassadors Theatre
handle it instead.
One of the criticisms which could be levelled at Stomp is that it is a one-trick
pony. Whether or not it has the subtly and textured layers of intrigue which
could keep an audience going again and again is certainly up for debate and,
after a while, some of the rhythms and beats bring played out onstage do tend to
become a bit samey and repetitive. However these are minor criticisms levelled
at a show which is, on the whole, something which you won’t get to see anywhere
else. It is expensive, tickets from £25 to £45 and whether or not you think
you’ve had value for money will depend on your ability to open you mind and
break down your ideas of what you consider ‘music’ to be.
Buy cheap theatre tickets for
Stomp and other top west end shows now.
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