When Ohio University’s Mem Aud finally opened its doors on Nov. 17, audience members shuffled to their seats, gawking at a large metal wall decorated with street signs, dangling pots and trash can lids, illuminated on stage. It was clear something loud was about to happen.
Stomp is a theatrical show performed using only body parts and common, everyday items to create a symphony of percussive sounds. It originated in Brighton, U.K., and made its first appearance in the U.S. at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in 1994.
Most anything can, and will, be used as an instrument during this elaborate spectacle for both viewers’ eyes and ears as performers make music with objects including: brooms, matches, hollow pipes, shopping carts, lighters, sinks, floatation rafts and trash can lids.
Finally, the lights dim and one, lone man carrying a broom meanders his way to the middle of the stage, sweeping as he does so. Stopping and looking up, he acts surprised to see the audience, immediately breaking the fourth wall, which will remain broken throughout the entirety of the performance. He is then slowly joined by various other actors, also sweeping in the same rhythmic pattern he is, and the show begins.
The set of this performance and the ragged overalls, jeans and t-shirts donned by the performers, make the audience feel as if they are witnessing the closing shifts of blue collar workers, in the alleyway of a city. The mood of the performers only strengthens that feeling in the first couple scenes, as they hem and haw their way around the stage, banging and tapping their brooms against the ground to create music.
Each scene somehow managed to top the last while the audience watched in awe as the actors made noises that were so surreal, you wouldn’t believe they were coming from the objects in hand. However, it wasn’t just the noises themselves that made this show incredible, it was the precise and organized way each sound was laid out together, in such a nonchalant way that it almost seemed accidental.
Organized chaos is the best way this display can be described. Watching the performers throw their props across the stage only to catch them mid air and slam them hard against the ground made it impossible for your brain to keep up, creating the most pleasant sensory overload you’ll ever experience.
One of the many beautiful things about this “organized chaos” was that it is hard to pick up on any mistakes made during the performance. And, even when clear mistakes were made, it wasn’t difficult for the actors to recover or play them off as if nothing had happened, making the show that much more enjoyable to witness.
Despite the performance having no words, the audience was still able to gauge each actor's dynamic in relation to the others. Demonstrated professionally, yet silently using only facial expressions, when the audience wasn’t captivated by visual and auditory stunts, they were roaring with laughter at the physical comedy that played in front of them.
When unconventional props weren’t being used, the actors used their hands and bodies to perform dances. The intensity of the performers and shadows created on the wall of the auditorium from the way the lights were positioned in accordance with the actors also gave the show a hair-raising effect at times.
Simply calling this presentation of skill a performance is an understatement. The immense rehearsal this show took and rhythm these actors and actresses possess is astounding and left fans hoping this “international sensation” will visit again soon.
