STOMP at the Orpheum Theatre
Thursday, 02. 12. 2009 – Category: Music
Outside the Orpheum Theatre
Last week, I had the tremendous pleasure of watching STOMP live at the Orpheum Theatre in New York City. I had seen the STOMP performance of “Stomp Out Loud” on DVD a few years ago, but never made it out to see them live until now.
STOMP is a 2-hour off-Broadway percussion performance in which the musicians use everyday objects such as brooms and garbage cans. Anyone familiar with off-Broadway performances will know about the very tiny intimate theater size of the venues. Some see this is as a disadvantage, but for musical performances such as STOMP, the proximity to the stage really enhances the experience. I was lucky enough to be in the second row from the stage, which is absolutely outstanding… unless you’re an asthmatic. Let me explain. The show began with a lonesome guy on stage with a broom, rhythmically sweeping the stage as would a janitor. He was soon joined by the rest of the performers. The cloud of dust produced by the sweeping was enhanced by the dust intentionally poured onto the stage. Though it created a nice foggy effect on stage, it made the audience in the front rows cough and squint as the dust passed overhead.
Nevertheless, the show took off with a few fast-paced numbers, and then slowed it down with my favorite act involving matchbooks. The house lights were turned off, and a single spotlight was placed on a few of the performers, who sequentially tapped and shook rhythms on their matchbooks, conducting a sort of competition with each other. This, and other slight hints of comedy added simple story lines to each act. In fact, one of the performers had a comedic role through the entire show, serving as a shy victim of jokes and pranks from the other performers, yielding laughs through the subtle and dry humor.
However I can’t talk about STOMP without mentioning Blue Man Group. Like STOMP, Blue Man Group is an off-Broadway percussion performance, but incorporates art as well. I have seen Blue Man Group twice, once in Las Vegas and most recently at the Astor Place Theatre in New York City. Three men with their faces painted blue drum on objects such as PVC pipes and barrels of paint, splashing neon colors around while creating modern upbeat rhythms. STOMP takes a primitive and stripped down approach, whereas Blue Man Group takes a more modern. Blue Man Group however includes cast members who never appear on stage. These “backup” musicians wear neon-lit clothing, and are placed up high on platforms near the ceiling. They add rock drums and electric guitar to create the hi-fi modern effect. My favorite part of the Blue Man Group performance was undoubtedly the ending act where rolls of toilet paper streamed down from the back of the theater and enveloped the audience as strobe lights flashed and rock drums played. It’s a “you have to see it to believe it” kind of thing.
Tags: astor place theatre, blue man group, nyc, orpheum theatre, stomp
Categories
- No public Twitter messages.