Last October 18 to 23, Stomp graced the Philippine stage at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abellardo at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Unlike most international stage performances, Stomp does not make use of dramatic storylines, song numbers, or even words; it combines the most essential elements of a performance through various creative and unconventional ways.
As the show begins, the colorful and well lit set encapsulates the audience. The set’s identity and purpose are ambiguous at first, since it appears as a playground made of junk. As the show progresses, however, the entire set becomes an instrument. This is the main reason Stomp is unique; music is created out of simple and ordinary objects, often taken for granted.
There were trash bins, rubber tubes, match boxes, broom sticks, newspapers and even a kitchen sink. Every single object had its own rhythm and pitch, which then created a beautiful harmony, all together.
Stomp’ complex choreography is also commendable. In between making music, the performers would incorporate tap dancing, acrobatics and a little bit of hip hop. Amazingly, they executed all of these perfectly.
Timing is essential because one wrong step or one wrong pass could ruin the dynamics of the whole performance.
Stomp’s comedy entertains its audience like no other play could. Despite the lack of direct storytelling, the different characters and their roles are vividly portrayed, even the audience is part of the show because the performers interact and communicate with them through hand claps and foot stomps.
Stomp is a performance which people of all ages could watch and enjoy. It is entertaining, unique and unforgettable; it manages to reconceptualize the notion of music. Noise was only noise until Stomp turned it into music. It is true then, because of Stomp, even the ordinary can give birth to the extraordinary.
