(Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Orlando FL) The percussive theatrical production STOMP performed the 1st of its 3 shows in Orlando Friday night June 6, and it was amazing!
In the early 1990's, I purchased one of my first DVD's, and it was STOMP. I remember playing that on our family room TV thinking that I would like to watch that in person someday. A little over 30 years later, that wish came true, and I was seated just a few feet away from the stage and the performers.
Upon entering the theater, it was refreshing and exciting to see the show backdrop proudly displayed on the stage. There were no curtains masking the view. There were the ushers pacing up and down the aisles informing the audience members that there was to be no photography or videography from the audience.
When the lights went down and the performers took to the stage, it was high-energy dancing and percussion thereafter for the next 90 minutes! Essentially whatever item you placed around one of these performers, they were going to create a beat with it. Whether it was a broomstick, newspaper, a plastic pipe, a shopping cart, or a part of a garbage can, these talented artists created dynamic rhythms by themselves, which then blended amongst the group to create this symphonic wave of sound.
Even when there was no item, the artists would find a way to create a rhythm through scuffing their feet along the ground, or clapping, or just beating their chests.
In addition to the highly creative sound, the lighting was spectacular. The strategic placement and intensity of the light was able to create this wonderfully artistic imagery of shadow and light. At times, you would only see the highlighted silhouettes of the performers. It was so powerful and visually stunning.
The Walt Disney Theater inside of Dr. Phillips has hosted numerous classical productions and theatrical touring ensembles. It was a very interesting change up to see such an impactful display of foot-stomping, broom-sweeping, and aggressively slamming items into one another on this stage. But it was done so poetically, this show is really in a class by itself.
It should be stated here that it's not 90 minutes of decibel-piercing noise. This was a very carefully orchestrated production which contained no audible dialogue from any of its cast. They completely leveraged their bodies to create this spectacular display of sound, coupled against very brilliant light casts.
It took 30+ years for me to see this show, and I had 30 years of expectations that could have potentially biased me toward a perfect performance that was needed into order to meet the high-bar of precision and artistry I saw on that DVD I purchased back in 1991. But even after having held onto, and watched, that DVD all this time, I can say that to see this show live in person is transformational. Your perception of the limits we have on our bodies, the sounds that we tend to subconsciously cancel out throughout the day, and the day-to-day scenes we oftentimes take for granted as we're glued to the screens of our phones will all be greatly amplified and in full display on stage at STOMP.
An extraordinary performance by a skilled and most-talented cast, successfully lived up to the high-standing hype I've had of this show after 30 years. A must see!!
Bailey Guinigundo
In the early 1990's, I purchased one of my first DVD's, and it was STOMP. I remember playing that on our family room TV thinking that I would like to watch that in person someday. A little over 30 years later, that wish came true, and I was seated just a few feet away from the stage and the performers.
Upon entering the theater, it was refreshing and exciting to see the show backdrop proudly displayed on the stage. There were no curtains masking the view. There were the ushers pacing up and down the aisles informing the audience members that there was to be no photography or videography from the audience.
When the lights went down and the performers took to the stage, it was high-energy dancing and percussion thereafter for the next 90 minutes! Essentially whatever item you placed around one of these performers, they were going to create a beat with it. Whether it was a broomstick, newspaper, a plastic pipe, a shopping cart, or a part of a garbage can, these talented artists created dynamic rhythms by themselves, which then blended amongst the group to create this symphonic wave of sound.
Even when there was no item, the artists would find a way to create a rhythm through scuffing their feet along the ground, or clapping, or just beating their chests.
In addition to the highly creative sound, the lighting was spectacular. The strategic placement and intensity of the light was able to create this wonderfully artistic imagery of shadow and light. At times, you would only see the highlighted silhouettes of the performers. It was so powerful and visually stunning.
The Walt Disney Theater inside of Dr. Phillips has hosted numerous classical productions and theatrical touring ensembles. It was a very interesting change up to see such an impactful display of foot-stomping, broom-sweeping, and aggressively slamming items into one another on this stage. But it was done so poetically, this show is really in a class by itself.
It should be stated here that it's not 90 minutes of decibel-piercing noise. This was a very carefully orchestrated production which contained no audible dialogue from any of its cast. They completely leveraged their bodies to create this spectacular display of sound, coupled against very brilliant light casts.
It took 30+ years for me to see this show, and I had 30 years of expectations that could have potentially biased me toward a perfect performance that was needed into order to meet the high-bar of precision and artistry I saw on that DVD I purchased back in 1991. But even after having held onto, and watched, that DVD all this time, I can say that to see this show live in person is transformational. Your perception of the limits we have on our bodies, the sounds that we tend to subconsciously cancel out throughout the day, and the day-to-day scenes we oftentimes take for granted as we're glued to the screens of our phones will all be greatly amplified and in full display on stage at STOMP.
An extraordinary performance by a skilled and most-talented cast, successfully lived up to the high-standing hype I've had of this show after 30 years. A must see!!
Bailey Guinigundo
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