Stomp

Published Monday 8 October 2007 at 18:15 by Katie Colombus

Stomp has been on quite a journey. They have travelled from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1991, through a world tour, Academy Award nominations, Brazil Carnival, and Las Vegas to a six year run on the West End stage.

But now transferring to the Ambassadors theatre, 16 years after it first previewed, the question is - can Stomp keep on making noise?

The concept behind the show - that you don’t need an orchestra or expensive instruments to make music - is, in itself, simple and effective.

Characters create interesting percussive sound through the use of brooms, matchsticks, bins and sinks among other everyday items. There is a gritty, urban feel to their antics. But the corrugated tin set strewn with pots and pans, road signs and bin lids does look a little time worn.

And the cast themselves - a rag bag of performers, surly, ditzy, strong, funny, dippy and downright weird individuals made up of dancers, musicians and comedians - look early nineties in a way that isn’t yet old enough to be kitsch.

Strategically the dynamics of the different routines are well structured and evenly spread over the one hour 40 minute run, and this is doubtless expert sound choreography.

There are moments of brilliance when they get the sounds and rhythms just right, but there’s no getting away from the fact that this 21st century audience has grown so accustomed to high tech attributes, surround sound and digital enhancement that it seems as though there is something missing.

You can’t help but think of shows such as the Blue Man Group, who have taken a similar concept to bigger and better digital realms.

The small stage seems overly crowded and the sound flat. Despite the venue, there is still a sense of low budget fringe theatre, which although endearing in its earnestness, can not compete with other high end versions.

Having said that, the good time day trippers out for a fun night (mostly made up of tourists) laugh, cheer and clap along, getting involved in the audience participation sections and generally enjoying themselves.

But Stomp is not selling out, and you can’t help wonder how much longer a show can run on tourist ticketing rather than critical acclaim from such a long time ago.