(MACON) STOMP, the international percussion sensation, makes its Macon premiere at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Feb. 22-24, at The Grand Opera House. After playing to sell-out crowds for over 10 seasons, STOMP continues its phenomenal runs with one North American touring company, two productions overseas – a permanent London company and a European tour – and the New York company’s continuous sellout run at The Orpheum Theatre, now in its eleventh year. From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international phenomenon over the past ten years, having performed in more than 350 cities in 36 countries worldwide.
Tickets for the Macon performances are available through Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or online at thegrand.mercer.edu. Tickets range from $35 to $40.
STOMP has been an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards, and appearances on award-winning national commercials. STOMP has appeared on the 1996 Oscar telecast and 1998 Emmy telecast. STOMP co-creators/directors Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas were nominated for an Academy Award for the short film Brooms. Their HBO special STOMP Out Loud received an Emmy Award. Their TV appearances range from “The Late Show with David Letterman” to “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The eight-member percussion groups have caused a roaring sensation at every one of its groundbreaking appearances.
STOMP has made its unique presence known outside its live stage show by recording music for Quincy Jones’ CD “Q’s Jook Joint” (for which they received a Grammy nomination), the well received soundtrack for the film Tank Girl, and the Academy Award-nominated short, live action film Brooms, which was featured at the Sundance Film Festival.
Cresswell and McNicholas scored the Showtime film Riot, which aired in April 1997, and created HBO’s STOMP Out Loud, winner of a 1998 Emmy Award. STOMP joined the Sesame Street Muppets in exploring the world of music and rhythm in an exclusive-to-video release of “Let’s Make Music.” Most recently, Cresswell and McNicholas directed the Imax film Pulse: a STOMP Odyssey, which is a celebration of the global beat and an exploration of the sights and sounds of continents and cultures throughout the world.
Critics and audiences continue to rave about the show. “STOMP is a sure-fire crowd pleaser with a rock-and-roll heart,” proclaims The New York Times. “STOMP finds beautiful noise in the strangest places,” declares USA Today. The Los Angeles Times exclaims, “Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience.” “A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking – a joyous invention!” says the Chicago Tribune.
STOMP is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London’s Tony Award); in New York they received an Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special Citation from Best Plays.
The young and hip performers “make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound,” says co-founder/director Luke Cresswell. Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra; eight Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – dustbins, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, hub caps – to fill the stage with one of the most compelling and unique acts to ever arrive in Macon. STOMP‘s appeal is universal; it attracts an audience ranging from “kids to grannies to bank managers,” according to Cresswell.
STOMP will be at The Grand Opera House at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday, Feb.22-24. For tickets, call Mercer Ticket Sales at (478) 301-5470 or purchase online at thegrand.mercer.edu. More information about the show is also available at www.stomponline.com.
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