Stomp!
'Stomp' brings act to Columbus
by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
March 20, 2008
It can’t be denied that the British percussion troupe Stomp is an international phenomenon. But what’s it like behind the scenes of one of the most exciting stage shows in the world? Performer and rehearsal director Nicholas Young, 30 of Texas, tells the Newspaper Network of Central Ohio all about it.
Question: Hey Nicholas, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Where are you guys at right now?
Answer: I’m actually at home in Austin, Texas. We surprisingly got a week off, which is good because we’ve been on tour for three months solid, then we go out again until June with no break.
Q: That’s insane. How many of you guys are out touring?
A: Well, there’s a North American tour, a New York show, a Las Vegas show, a European tour and a European sit down. We’re the longest running off-off-Broadway show, and we’re very fortunate to still have five companies running at the same time.
Q: How long have you been with Stomp?
A: I’ve been doing it for five years now. I started out in the New York show then went down to the show in Boston. After it closed and I came back to the show in New York, and later decided I wanted to try the tour. I actually think I like the tour vibe more, you’re able to surround your life around the show.
Q: Why did you decide Stomp was something you wanted to do?
A: I’ve been in performing arts my entire life … my background was in tap dance, but I got interested in percussion and joined a few bands. Then when I moved out to New York [Stomp’s] casting director and rehearsal director saw me working for Beat the Donkey, which kind of has a stomp feel but with instruments. Anyway, they invited me to a private audition.
Q: How would you describe Stomp to someone who’s never seen it?
A: Basically we make music out of everyday objects. We really try to take the audience through a musical journey; show them that music is in everyday life. It’s crazy because we’ll be at a restaurant and start tapping forks and salt shaker, or we’ll be walking down the street and somebody will bang on a newspaper [kiosk] and then three of us will stop and start jamming in the middle of the street. It really becomes a part of your life.
Q: What parts do you perform in the show?
A: There’s only 8 of us on stage at a time, 12 of us on the tour all together, so most of us know all of the parts. But right now I just do one role, I’m the full-time “Sarge,” I basically play the lead. I’m the guy that communicates with the audience. I’m the first one out on the stage and I sort of introduce the instruments. Only one other person actually addresses the audience, “Mazzi,” he’s the comical relief of the show.
Q: Why do you think Stomp is still so popular? What makes it so unique?
A: There really isn’t anything like it. Other shows that are doing the same thing are doing it because they saw Stomp at one point. It’s like I was saying, there are no words really so anybody can understand it. It’s a great family show; everyone is going to get something out of it. A lot of people say it’s like going to a rock show.
It’s also great because we get a lot of creative input. The intro that I do when I first come onto the stage is all me. I can choreograph it myself or do some [improvisation]. There are a lot of parts in the show that are like that, almost each performer gets a chance to add their own flavor.
.jpg)
Q: What do you guys do to prepare for a show? How often do you rehearse?
A: We train anywhere from four to six weeks for a new show. Then we always rehearse an hour before the show to make sure we’re ready. If there’s a new performer we sometimes add another four-hour rehearsal during the week.
Q: It seems like the two major elements in Stomp are percussion and choreography. Which is the most important skill, or are both needed?
A: It’s pretty much equal. Just because you can sit at a drum set doesn’t exactly mean you can play a broom or a matchbox. It’s all about the movement. There’s combat in the show, you see these two burley guys battling it out on stage with trash can lids and poles, but there’s still that strong musical element. Everything goes hand in hand.
Q: Where’s been your favorite place to perform? Where has the crowd been particularly engaging?
A: All of our crowds really get into it, there’s a lot of call and response in the show. But we had a pretty great time in Anchorage, Alaska. They were so glad for us to be there. They had restaurants that were even throwing parties for us. Also when we were in St. Louis the theater sold out almost every night and there are like 5,000 seats in that theater. That was a pretty amazing show.
Q: It looks like a lot of the inanimate objects you use in the show are damaged during the performance; is there a “Stomp warehouse” that replenishes all of your equipment?
A: We get most of stuff from just regular storage places, except for the trashcans; we do order those from Britain. They sound better the way that they make them over there. But yeah, we do end up breaking like three or four broomsticks each show and a matchbox gets broken every one in a while.
Q: What has been a particularly memorable moment in all the years that you’ve performed with Stomp?
A: When I was in the New York show everyone had already been in the show like five or six years and I was the only new guy. Even when I was on stage sometimes I just couldn’t believe the caliber of talent that I was involved with. But now I have no idea how many shows I’ve even done. It’s probably in the thousands.
Stomp takes the stage at The Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., Columbus, starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday and running through March 30. Tickets are $19.50 to $49.50.
For more information, call (614) 469-0939 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment Coordinator
The Advocate
March 20, 2008
It can’t be denied that the British percussion troupe Stomp is an international phenomenon. But what’s it like behind the scenes of one of the most exciting stage shows in the world? Performer and rehearsal director Nicholas Young, 30 of Texas, tells the Newspaper Network of Central Ohio all about it.
Question: Hey Nicholas, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Where are you guys at right now?
Answer: I’m actually at home in Austin, Texas. We surprisingly got a week off, which is good because we’ve been on tour for three months solid, then we go out again until June with no break.
Q: That’s insane. How many of you guys are out touring?
A: Well, there’s a North American tour, a New York show, a Las Vegas show, a European tour and a European sit down. We’re the longest running off-off-Broadway show, and we’re very fortunate to still have five companies running at the same time.
Q: How long have you been with Stomp?
A: I’ve been doing it for five years now. I started out in the New York show then went down to the show in Boston. After it closed and I came back to the show in New York, and later decided I wanted to try the tour. I actually think I like the tour vibe more, you’re able to surround your life around the show.
Q: Why did you decide Stomp was something you wanted to do?
A: I’ve been in performing arts my entire life … my background was in tap dance, but I got interested in percussion and joined a few bands. Then when I moved out to New York [Stomp’s] casting director and rehearsal director saw me working for Beat the Donkey, which kind of has a stomp feel but with instruments. Anyway, they invited me to a private audition.
Q: How would you describe Stomp to someone who’s never seen it?
A: Basically we make music out of everyday objects. We really try to take the audience through a musical journey; show them that music is in everyday life. It’s crazy because we’ll be at a restaurant and start tapping forks and salt shaker, or we’ll be walking down the street and somebody will bang on a newspaper [kiosk] and then three of us will stop and start jamming in the middle of the street. It really becomes a part of your life.
Q: What parts do you perform in the show?
A: There’s only 8 of us on stage at a time, 12 of us on the tour all together, so most of us know all of the parts. But right now I just do one role, I’m the full-time “Sarge,” I basically play the lead. I’m the guy that communicates with the audience. I’m the first one out on the stage and I sort of introduce the instruments. Only one other person actually addresses the audience, “Mazzi,” he’s the comical relief of the show.
Q: Why do you think Stomp is still so popular? What makes it so unique?
A: There really isn’t anything like it. Other shows that are doing the same thing are doing it because they saw Stomp at one point. It’s like I was saying, there are no words really so anybody can understand it. It’s a great family show; everyone is going to get something out of it. A lot of people say it’s like going to a rock show.
It’s also great because we get a lot of creative input. The intro that I do when I first come onto the stage is all me. I can choreograph it myself or do some [improvisation]. There are a lot of parts in the show that are like that, almost each performer gets a chance to add their own flavor.
.jpg)
Q: What do you guys do to prepare for a show? How often do you rehearse?
A: We train anywhere from four to six weeks for a new show. Then we always rehearse an hour before the show to make sure we’re ready. If there’s a new performer we sometimes add another four-hour rehearsal during the week.
Q: It seems like the two major elements in Stomp are percussion and choreography. Which is the most important skill, or are both needed?
A: It’s pretty much equal. Just because you can sit at a drum set doesn’t exactly mean you can play a broom or a matchbox. It’s all about the movement. There’s combat in the show, you see these two burley guys battling it out on stage with trash can lids and poles, but there’s still that strong musical element. Everything goes hand in hand.
Q: Where’s been your favorite place to perform? Where has the crowd been particularly engaging?
A: All of our crowds really get into it, there’s a lot of call and response in the show. But we had a pretty great time in Anchorage, Alaska. They were so glad for us to be there. They had restaurants that were even throwing parties for us. Also when we were in St. Louis the theater sold out almost every night and there are like 5,000 seats in that theater. That was a pretty amazing show.
Q: It looks like a lot of the inanimate objects you use in the show are damaged during the performance; is there a “Stomp warehouse” that replenishes all of your equipment?
A: We get most of stuff from just regular storage places, except for the trashcans; we do order those from Britain. They sound better the way that they make them over there. But yeah, we do end up breaking like three or four broomsticks each show and a matchbox gets broken every one in a while.
Q: What has been a particularly memorable moment in all the years that you’ve performed with Stomp?
A: When I was in the New York show everyone had already been in the show like five or six years and I was the only new guy. Even when I was on stage sometimes I just couldn’t believe the caliber of talent that I was involved with. But now I have no idea how many shows I’ve even done. It’s probably in the thousands.
Stomp takes the stage at The Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., Columbus, starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday and running through March 30. Tickets are $19.50 to $49.50.
For more information, call (614) 469-0939 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home