We got on the bus in New York'supper West Side (Remember that picturesque neighborhood in"You've Got Mail"?) and got off in the East Village.I quickly discovered that the dress code there in-cludesunnatural hair color and multiple body piercings - and I don'tjust mean a second earring! I had come to see the Off-Broadwayshow, "Stomp" at the Orpheum Theatre, a performancecritics had been raving about. I must admit I was skeptical,because "Stomp" is not a play in the traditionalsense. But it soon distinguished itself in my eyes, and notjust because of the noise level ("Stomp" is aptlytitled!).
"Stomp" portrays emotions,interactions and conversations without using words. Instead,the cast creates rhythm and sound patterns using everydayitems including brooms, sinks, pans, trash cans, paper bagsand newspapers. By speeding up or slowing down the beat, orincreasing or decreasing the volume, the cast conveys manyemotions. One memorable scene involves cigarette light-ers.With the theatre dark, the eight cast members stand in a rowfacing the audience. Then the cast creates visually appealingsequences as they take turns igniting theirlighters.
"Stomp" is not a show for thefaint-hearted, though. My cousin got a migraine headache fromthe racket. During the scene with steel drums, I could feelthe beat through my body. At other times the flashing lightsleft me dizzy. And those brooms repeatedly tapping the woodenstage almost drove me crazy! But the whole effect isincredible. The actors perform with terrific talent and it isamazing to see brooms and paper bags used to communicate.Check out "Stomp" if you're in New York and you'llsee what I mean!
