Thursday, Feb. 5, 1998
'Can you feel it?'
STOMP captivates with nonverbal comedy, jaw-dropping percussion
Reviewed by CHRIS KREWSONCollegian Arts Writer
People go to STOMP expecting to see unusual items used in interesting
rhythms. They expect chest-pounding bangs and clangs on stage.
They even expect to leave with a headache.
STOMP members crash their brooms against the Eisenhower Auditorium stage to create what touring member Maria Breyer calls "rhythmic movement with percussion." STOMP performed Tuesday night and last night to near-capacity audiences. (Collegian Photo/Dan Saelinger - click for full size image)
That's exactly what happened after the STOMPers left the stage
in Eisenhower Auditorium Tuesday night -- the standing ovation
was tinged with peals of laughter. Yes, the percussion was amazing,
and there were plenty of unorthodox instruments on stage. (Zippo
lighters? Plungers? You betcha.)
But the most wonderful thing about the performance was its humanity.
In a series of mini-sketches, and almost totally without words
(I counted nine in the whole performance), the dancers/percussionists/actors
managed to convey which one was annoying, who was simple, who
was over-enthusiastic and who the leader was.
That leader, Steven Dean Davis, was the source of most of the performance's nine words.
With a violent movement, Stomp members crash brooms against the stage. (Collegian Photo/Dan Saelinger - click for full size image)
Audience participation was important to the STOMPers. They played
to the crowd as ably as any improvisational musician, gesturing
for applause after each flurry of solo action. The best example
showed seven of the eight performers in a semicircle, keeping
the beat, while one performer strutted his or her stuff in the
middle.
The percussion was amazing, and solid, but the nonverbal communication sealed the show. A tilted neck to indicate mild curiosity, a comically exaggerated mimic of an audience member, a slow stare to show disinterest or the deep bow in center spotlight after a solo stint.
A member of Stomp creates rythm by tapping his broom against the stage of Eisenhower Auditorium. (Collegian Photo/Dan Saelinger - click for full size image)
Probably the only downside to the experience was the price tag.
Ticket costs ranged from $25 to $32, a real wallet-slammer for
most students. While STOMP was amazing, inspiring, unique and
humane, it was also very, very pricey. And when a show plays on
a college campus, the needs of the audience should be considered.
The show's other two words, instead of "pipe" and "shh," should have been "too expensive."
