It was a lot of fun to see this up close and personal at New York Theatre Workshop before it heads to Broadway in the Fall. It's not the best Sondheim musical, but the chemistry and charisma that Lindsey Mendez, Jonathan Groff, and Daniel Radcliffe bring to the show is enough to make it good.
After 29 years at the Orpheum Theater, STOMP will be moving on... and Google Maps will have to update the information for this longstanding East Village theater (only by searching STOMP will it appear). With an idea of what the show entails, but no definite memory of whether or not I went as a kid, we got tickets for the last week of performances. The theater brimmed with youthful energy as kids impatiently waited for the stomping to begin.
From broom sweeping to hose play to actually stomping and drumming, the tireless performers entertain all ages. There is a real family-friendly energy and both children and adults are delighted by simple, wordless hijinks on stage and the thrill of live interactive performance - there are rhythm battles between performers, a funny looking man doing a weird dance, call and response clapping that engages the eager audience (and seems to say, you too can learn to STOMP). At 1 hour and 45 minutes, one might argue that it was too long and got too loud - in fact, I will argue that (the literal trash can banging at the 1 hour and 20 minute mark felt like an insult to my ears) - but enjoyable nonetheless and a truly inclusive NYC experience that will hopefully return soon. |
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