Stomp Turns Seven in NYC, Feb. 28

By Christine Ehren
February 28, 2001

Bang! Bang bang crash! In other words, happy birthday, Stomp! The Off-Broadway long-runner turns seven years old at New York's Orpheum Theatre Feb. 28.

Bang! Bang bang crash! In other words, happy birthday, Stomp! The Off-Broadway long-runner turns seven years old at New York's Orpheum Theatre Feb. 28.

Stomp is about banging things, but not in the traditional drumsticks-on-a-drum method. Everything from Zippo lighters to brooms to plungers, plastic bags and hubcaps make the music of Stomp. A winner of London's Olivier Award and New York's Obie and Drama Desk Awards, the one-time UK street performance has spawned five internationally touring companies, commercials, the Grammy-nominated album "Q's Jook Joint," an Academy Award-nominated short, "Brooms," and the Emmy Award-winning HBO special, "Stomp Out Loud."

Recently the company was awarded a 2001 Drummie for Best Percussion Ensemble, beating out Blue Man Group and Kodo. With all the aforementioned success, it's no surprise creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas are also planning a Stomp IMAX movie.

In seven years Off-Broadway, Stomp has gone through:

2,310 pairs of drumsticks
1, 134 wooden poles
406 British-made small garbage cans
322 British-made large garbage cans
2,450 American-made garbage cans
9,100 boxes of Swan Vesta matches
546 gallons of black paint
4,680 pairs of earplugs

Seven years adds up to 2,953 individual performances. Stomp, then a completely British cast, first set foot in the Orpheum in Feb., 1994. The Americans took over the show in July, 1994.

Tickets to Stomp are available by calling (212) 477-2477. The Orpheum Theatre is located at 126 Second Avenue.