Warning: Household objects were harmed in the making of this production.
Victorians have a chance to see one of the most bombastic shows ever to grace the stage of the Royal Theatre as Stomp crashes its way to Victoria until Sept. 1.
With a cast of eight performers —who are all accomplished actors, dancers, percussionists and athletes — a colourful, yet industrial-looking set and nothing more than a few household objects, Stomp succeeds at entertaining and engaging the audience from start to finish.
And at an hour and 45 minutes without an intermission, it's amazing that the eight performers have the stamina and the talent to keep the audience engaged the entire time. But they do, and they do it well.
Stomp is endlessly creative. Just when you think they couldn't possibly top the last number, the cast succeeds at outdoing themselves over and over.
With only a few monosyllabic grunts, and some paint-covered clothes, the cast of Stomp kicks up a plume of dust and some super entertainment. Each character succeeds at portraying some personality without the use of vocalized language — but they use body language in spades. There's the ringleader, the hipster girl, the tough guy, the boy next door, the rough girl, the athlete, the drill sergeant and the dorky outsider. You never know who to watch, fearing that if you pay too much attention to one performer, you'll miss some of the action.
Created and directed by Kuke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, who first worked together in street band pookiesnackenburger, Stomp is now a world-wide phenomenon. After making its debut in 1991 at London's Bloomsbury Theatre, winning the Best of the Fringe award at the Edinburgh Festival, playing to capacity crowds around the world from Hong Kong to Barcelona and Dublin to Sydney and a successful run on Broadway, Stomp made its Victoria debut Aug. 27 to a capacity crowd at the Royal Theatre.
I think it's safe to say that both the cast and the audience were left with sore hands by the end of the performance.
Stomp
Royal Theatre
Until Sept. 1
Tickets at rmts.bc.ca or 250-386-6121
32 student rush tickets are available for $28 for each performance, starting at 9:30am at the Royal box office the day of the show.