Stomp

The British theatrical sensation, Stomp, makes music from the mundane. It has no words and little in the way of traditional melody; it is all about the thumping, all-encompassing beat of a rhythm. Stomp is a unique, award-winning show which has thrilled audiences all over the world. It combines elements of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion to turn the clutter of urban life into the source of infectious rhythm and wonder. Eight resourceful performers hammer out a feel-good rhythm using everything from matchboxes to wooden poles and rubbish bins to the kitchen sink. The beat-banging show is currently in its seventh London year. Stomp’s creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas met in 1981 when they were both members of street band Pookiesnackenburger and theatre group Cliff Hanger. It was with Pookiesnackenburger that the pair began to make music from bins, creating a piece for the Edinburgh Festival and an advert for Heineken. A 30-minute version of Stomp was first performed in Brighton in 1990. A year later, in July 1991, the full version of Stomp was staged at the Bloomsbury theatre before being taken to the Edinburgh Festival where it won both acclaim and awards. In 1992 Stomp began to make appearances all over the world, before 1994 saw it make its first stop at Sadler’s Wells, receiving a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Entertainment. Stomp’s impressive run at London’s Vaudeville theatre – it is currently one of the longest running shows in the West End – began in the autumn of 2002 and continued until autumn 2007, when it transferred to its current home, the Ambassadors theatre.