Review
What: Stomp
When: Continues to Sept. 1
Where: Royal Theatre
Rating: 3-1/2 stars (out of five)
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Watching Stomp in 2013 is something of a time warp.
From the moment a burly janitor-type character enters the stage in baggy cargo pants and begins tapping out a rhythm with the swish-swish of his broom bristles and hard tap of its side, Stomp transports us back to the early 1990s — a time when that fashion was in vogue and this show was truly cutting-edge. He’s joined by a motley crew of seven others in work boots, coveralls, a beanie and backwards ballcap, who somehow find rhythm in the most unlikely places: They crinkle newspaper, they find a scale in pots and pans, and they have the stage presence to captivate the audience with no props at all — only by pounding the ground with their boots. There are moments of quiet, when you’re drawn to the sound of a pair of hands rubbing together, and times of booming noise, when all eight cast members go wild, creating complicated percussive arrangements.
It’s not hard to see why Stomp has survived more than 20 years. There’s no dialogue, which makes it international-tour-ready. And the reliance on physical comedy means it’s as accessible to kids as to grandparents.
If you read into it (probably too much), there’s also a beautiful democracy in it all. Latin dance, krumping, tap and Irish jigs can somehow all share one unifying rhythm. And rhythm itself is accessible: You don’t need to spend hundreds on a drum kit — you just need to turn your trash can upside down and get going (ticket prices, on the other hand, are less accessible, at a minimum $80).
What you get out of Stomp, however, will depend on your expectations.
Just about everyone will be impressed by the ingenuity — the creative use of lighters, kitchen sinks and plastic bags that make you realize, hey, it’s pretty amazing that these pulsing, intricate rhythms are actually coming from garbage and cleaning products. Same goes for the athleticism of the performers. They put enough energy into the show and do enough squatting, leaping, breaking of brooms and pounding of the stage floor to make “stomp” a totally appropriate title. Plus, after 20 years, they’re experts at smoothing over glitches such as broken suspenders that mean your inner-tube is stuck on the ground instead of around your waist like everyone else’s.
But the clown comedy isn’t for everyone.
And if you’re expecting it to be “groundbreaking,” as it’s billed, it’s not. It certainly was in 1991, when it debuted at a U.K. fringe festival, as well as in 1994, when it took to Broadway. But its edge and cultural impact have inevitably softened over 20 years into a very entertaining but no longer paradigm-shifting piece of performance.
