'STOMP'S' JOYFUL NOISE STILL ENGAGING.Byline: - Evan Henerson OK, SO THE anything-can-be-rhythm theatrical experience known as ``Stomp'' isn't exactly fresh out of its wrapping paper anymore. Still, what's not to like about a performance that gets an audience hooting and catcalling over the clatter clat·ter v. clat·tered, clat·ter·ing, clat·ters v.intr. 1. To make a rattling sound. 2. To move with a rattling sound: clattering along on roller skates. of bristle bristle 1. the thick strong animal fibers collected at commercial abattoirs for use in brushes. 2. the sharp serrated awns of grass and some cereal seeds that confer a capacity to penetrate normal skin and mucosa and to cause ulcerative stomatitis, grass seed abscess and the like. brushes and trash-can lids? ``Stomp'' has been touring, uninterrupted, since 1995. Watching the version that's clanging clang n. 1. A loud, resonant, metallic sound. 2. The strident call of a crane or goose. intr. & tr.v. clanged, clang·ing, clangs To make or cause to make a clang. up the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza The Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza is a performing arts and administrative center located in Thousand Oaks, California. It was built in 1994 on the former site of "Jungleland" at a cost of $63.8 million. , en route to Pasadena next weekend, it's easy to understand its longevity. First off, there's the novelty. Yes, there are people - younger audiences in particular - who have never seen ``Stomp'' and who figure to sit up just a little straighter and clap with a little more delight at the ``Stomp'' ensemble's use of - among other items - cigarette lighters, rustling newspapers, matchbooks and broom handles. Original ensemble (and co-creator) Luke Cresswell may have hung up his sweeper ages ago, but the touring ``Stomps'' are filled with performers whose vibrancy and attitude shine through wonderfully. These 12 performers - guided in this tour by U.S. rehearsal director Fiona Wilkes - get it. You can tell by the impish imp·ish adj. Of or befitting an imp; mischievous. imp  ish·ly adv.imp way they bounce off each other, and off the audience. They're having a blast, certainly, but there's also a hint of unpredictability - as though perhaps something plucked from that garbage bag might be put to a new, creative use. The extended percussion sequence that has bungee-strapped performers vaulting between suspended pots, pans and road signs is a jangly adj. 1. like the discordant ringing of nonmusical metallic objects striking together; sounding with a jangle ; as, a custodian with a jangly set of keys s>. Adj. 1. showstopper showstopper - A hardware or (especially) software bug that makes an implementation effectively unusable; one that absolutely has to be fixed before development can go on. Opposite in connotation from its original theatrical use, which refers to something stunningly *good*. . Ditto the martial-arts-like grace of the broom handle ballet (brushes removed). The ``Stomp'' players make instruments of everything - including the kitchen sink. And how many performances can make that unusual claim? STOMP - Three and one half stars Where: Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. When: 8 tonight, 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; also April 1-3 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Tickets: $35.50 to $48.50. Call (213) 480-3232. In a nutshell: Still wacky and delightful, especially for first-timers. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion