Get some trash cans, plastic bags and boots. Add Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas and what do you get? Innovation, Stomp style.
STOMP, the international phenomenon that has been enthralling audiences in the West End and on Broadway, is set to unveil its Fresher, Faster, Funnier! version here in November.
The new Stomp musical, inspired by their large-scale Las Vegas version Stomp Out Loud, is ready to entertain audiences with new music and choreography, while still retaining the flavour of the original.
From a single drum hanging around Luke Cresswell’s neck back at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1991, Stomp has taken on a life of its own, transforming into an award-winning phenomenon.
For those who have never experienced Stomp, it is a very entertaining musical in which performers create sweet music out of ordinary items like trash cans, plastic bags, boots and paint cans. Yes, the very everyday items – everything including the kitchen sink – people never thought could be brought together to create a symphony of orchestrated music and dance.
Cresswell and Stomp co-creator Steve McNicholas somehow developed a unique, universal language of rhythm, theatre and comedy, which has been able to entertain audiences around the world for 17 years now! McNicholas shares his thoughts about how the phenomenon began and evolved through the years.
How did this idea for the show come about?
The show grew out of street performances Luke and I were involved in: we were in a band of “buskers”, and Luke was the drummer. Since he wanted to be more involved in street performance, he developed his own style of playing that kept him on the move. One day we saw the Burundi drummers playing in Covent Garden, and they carried their drums like trash collectors carried trashcans, over their shoulders ... it inspired Luke to teach the entire group to play trashcans... and that’s really where Stomp was born.
Where do you find your inspiration for the show? How do you make the show interesting year after year?
Our inspiration is really in the everyday sounds around us; trying to make music out of everyday sounds, or find the music in everyday sounds. So we do change some pieces in the show every two or three years, and the new pieces are often inspired by something we may have accidentally come across in the real world. Our performers are fairly unique, and they all bring something special to the show, so every Stomp cast has its own identity, and changes as new performers arrive; it changes organically over time. It helps keep the show fresh.
Have you been interested in music since you were young? Tell me about your earliest experience doing choreographed percussion. Did you take your mum’s pots and pans?
Both of us were interested in music from a very young age. I think everyone plays pots and pans at some point. There’s a touch of the drummer in everyone. Certainly, Luke drove his parents crazy playing household objects, until his father bought him a drumkit when he was nine years old.
Crash, boom, bang!: Stomp creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. Where do you get your instruments for Stomp? What’s your most favourite?
We find them at home, in a hardware store, in a garage. My two favourites are the pipes (which are vehicle rubber radiator hose, cut to different lengths to make musical tones) and what we call donuts, which are actually tractor and truck tyre inner tubes. Both of these were found in garages.
How do you choose which particular item can be used in Stomp? Were there any objects that you would like to use but can’t?
It has to sound great, but also has to look good, or at least give a performer a good reason to move with it. The donuts are an example: I wanted to use them for years, but it wasn’t until we had the idea to strap them on and wear them like harnesses that they suddenly looked like something from Stomp.
For a normal show, how many bins or broomsticks are used? Can you list down the common items?
We might break two or three broomsticks in a show ... maybe trash a bin every three or four shows ... they’re all recycled! We use zippo lighters, water bottles, tea chests... some things last a long time, some things, like banana skins, just last one show!
How do you inject humour into each performance when the show doesn’t have any script?
It’s really important for us to have an element of humour in Stomp, otherwise it could seem a little indulgent. We have to be able to laugh at each other, and ourselves. We are very careful to choose personalities in our performers that work well together comedically, and try to find performers who have a natural talent for physical comedy, which does seem to be very universal; sometimes it’s better not to have a script.
What are the challenges to performing Stomp?
Working as a group, staying tight; close knit. The performers have to play like a band, but perform like dancers and physical comedians, so it is a lot to ask of performers, to follow choreography and make the music they move to at the same time. It’s physically tough, and performers have to be fit, and take care of themselves.
Do you get many applications from people who wish to join Stomp? What are the requirements?
Yes, our last auditions in London had 675 applicants. In New York we’ve had up to 2,000. We look for people with a sense of rhythm and a sense of humour, and all importantly, the ability to work in a group.
How long do your dancers usually take to learn new routines? How many times do all of you practise in a day?
It’s a minimum of six weeks to learn the basics, but it can take several months to really know the whole show. So we have a lot of practice; everyday before a show, with probably a couple of extended rehearsals per week.
Do you organise classes for children, or adults even, who are interested in this kind of art?
Yes, we hold workshops in schools in England, and for adults, too, in some venues.
What makes Stomp ’11 different from its predecessors? What are the new music elements introduced?
Some new routines, new instruments have been introduced, and many of the regular routines have been re-choreographed: it keeps the performers on their toes! – Courtesy of Iconic Marketing Asia Sdn Bhd
Stomp ’11 – Fresher, Faster, Funnier! is coming back to Malaysia! The electrifying show will run from Nov 29 to Dec 4 at the plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. To purchase tickets, call the Ticketpro hotline ( 03-7880 7999) or visit ticketpro.com.my. Tickets: RM305, RM265, RM215, RM165, RM75 (students). Matinee show prices: RM265, RM215, RM165, RM115, RM75 (student). R.AGE is the official media partner for Stomp.
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