"Stomp' is dazzling. Electrifying. Joyous. And hilarious.
The production that opened Friday at the DECC Auditorium had the near sellout audience hooting and whistling from the opening number, a percussive symphony for push brooms, and demanding more after the spectacular finale, a hypnotic rhythm drawn from a whirl of gleaming trash cans and lids.
For two hours, eight performers not only created the most primal of music on an astonishing array of objects, they also danced fiercely and constantly and -- without a word of dialogue -- engaged the audience and elicited wave after wave of laughter.
The basic show has been around for 15 years, so it's not surprising that it has been polished to a high gloss, evident not only in the razor-sharp precision of the performers but in the crisp, tight lighting cues and the seamless transitions from number to number.
"Stomp's' essence is the ingenuity in extracting music from found objects. The show includes complex rhythms produced by body parts, dustpans, paper bags, cigarette lighters, folding chairs and five-gallon plastic jugs, which can be made to emit an almost ethereal tone, something like a muted guitar. There's even a riotous number done, literally, on kitchen sinks. And one involving basketballs that the Harlem Globetrotters could only dream of pulling off.
ADVERTISEMENT
The awesomely athletic performers -- in one number, four of them are suspended 10 feet above the stage to pound out an especially rousing beat -- also are able, wordlessly and without any plot, to create distinct characters, such as the social nebbish and the gleeful slob.
"Stomp' is a show to delight children of all ages, but perhaps the ones who will find it most gratifying are those whose mothers tried to discourage them from pounding out a beat on whatever was handy.
PAUL BRISSETT is a Duluth writer and amateur actor who has performed in numerous community theater productions and has served on the board of the Duluth Playhouse.
