Stomp Out Loud
Everybody likes to see "pretty" - pretty costumes, pretty bodies, pretty sets - even more so in Las Vegas. After all, Vegas is feathers and rhinestones, extra-tall women and gargantuan sets, right? Well, much has changed in the last decade or so. Witness the new show "Stomp Out Loud" at The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino (formerly the Aladdin). It may not fit the "pretty" description, but it's great entertainment.
Created and directed by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas (former street performers and musicians), the same co-creators of the original, "Stomp," this expanded version boasts a 24-member cast in a $28 million, 1,500-seat theater created especially for this production. The cast comes from all over: California, Hawaii, New York, Iowa, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Jersey and even Canada.
Walking into the theater, you enter a mechanic's dream: a stage filled with enough pipe, metal and gleaming silver chrome to trick out (or build) a motorcycle or two. It's a carefully crafted jumble of spare parts on a multi-tiered, curtain-less stage.
Dim the lights and cue the music? Hardly. On shuffles what at first glance appears to be a stagehand, pushing a broom, oblivious to the audience. Why, he couldn't possibly be a dancer - scruffy pants, short work boots, non-sculpted physique. The thing is, the sweeping quickly becomes a regular syncopated rhythm, backed up by an almost imperceptible soft shoe sound. Shortly thereafter, a cast of grunge-clad characters fills the stage, all pushing brooms, joining in the rhythm and escalating the pulse of the show.
By the time the opening sequence hits its stride, it's clear this isn't the usual Vegas fare. For one thing, its performers completely destroy the concept of what a dancer should look like. If not for the muscular arms, many would never pass for dancers. Clad in khaki pants, work boots and T-shirts, all in shades of olive and gray, they may not fit the Vegas image, but make no mistake: every one of them is filled with a power and musicality that instantly sets them apart.
Then there's the fact that each of them is also the music. They make that happen through the use of props. It starts with push brooms and eventually incorporates everything from sets of keys and plastic water jugs, to box crates and garbage bags, rubber hoses cut to specifications that produce different tones, Zippo lighters, newspapers, garbage cans and lids and even a pizza box.
It takes one talented performer to hold down the choreography while also serving as the music, not only for his or her own portion of the show but for anyone else who happens to be onstage at the same time. Each dancer depends on the next to keep the rhythms and tones going - quite a responsibility.
If you've seen "Stomp," then you have an idea of what the show is about. "Stomp" originated in England and was inspired by a Covent Garden performance by the Burundi drummers. A week later, Luke Cresswell had choreographed his first routine and in 1994, "Stomp" hit the United States. It has since played over 10,000 shows around the world. It's currently playing in New York, London and on international and North American tours. The two directors have taken their inspiration from such diverse sources as the Kodo drummers of Japan and Eva Yerbabuena, a flamenco artist from Spain. If it's an interesting rhythm, rest assured they'll use it.
"Stomp" has performed at the Oscars, the Emmys and twice at the Royal Variety Show in London. The performers have been seen on "Roseanne" and "Mad About You" and have done a special for HBO. They were a part of the Quincy Jones album "Q's Jook Joint."
This newest version, "Stomp Out Loud," has something to keep everyone entertained. The use of everyday objects is intriguing, the way the music is produced is clever and the use of comedy provides a nice respite from the intense pace of the show. In fact, it's the comedy thread that pulls it all together, breaking the intensity long enough to recoup for the next syncopated section.
Best of all, toward the end of the show the audience is invited to participate. A single performer spotlighted downstage, clapped a simple syncopated rhythm and then, with a slight lift of the chin, issued a challenge to copy the combination. With no hesitation at all, the call and response began. Before it was over, there was a unison of claps, snaps and stomps emanating from the showroom.
Once again, "Stomp Out Loud" had used its immediate environment, the entire showroom audience in this case, to make music. A review of the show from "Variety" called it "amazing, engaging, magical and infectious." That would be hard to argue with. If headed to Vegas, check out www.stompoutloudvegas.com for ticket and performance information.