STOMP to Move to New Venue Uptown After 21 Years?

According to the New York Daily News, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Oing has ruled that off-Broadway's STOMP is free to leave the Orpheum Theater after 21 years.

The musical will move uptown after the venue's owners "refused to maintain the historic theater for years," according to STOMP's lawyer Glenn Spiegel.

He added that "STOMP did not want to move" but "can't function like this any more," citing the lobby's sewage smell, the old carpets and the subpar toilets. Patrons have also complained about rats in greater numbers after last month's gas explosion in a neighboring building.

"At the end of the day, you can't hold them hostage forever," Justice Oing told the Orpheum's lawyers.

The Orpheum was reportedly surprised by STOMP's move and will have to find a new tenant or face financial problems.

STOMP will be held liable for damages and could have to go back on its contract with the new theater "if an arbitrator rules that STOMP had no right to move." Under this potential ruling, the show would also have to pay the Orpheum either $5,000 a week or 5 percent of its gross receipts -- whichever is higher -- for each week it plays at the new venue.

The Orpheum's lawyer Carey Ramos, who pointed out that the theater's owners helped STOMP weather the 2008 recession, said in court: "The Orpheum Theater has become synonymous with STOMP - just as STOMP has become synonymous with the Orpheum Theater."

Created and directed by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, Stomp is the winner of London's Olivier Award, New York's Obie Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Unique Theatrical Experience, and a Legend of Off-Broadway Award. Cresswell and McNicholas received an Oscar nomination for the short film Brooms and an Emmy for the HBO Special Stomp Out Loud.

STOMP began as street performance and went on to become a world-famous show and an unmistakable part of popular culture with a sound, look and attitude all its own. Part of the fabric of New York's theatre landscape, Stomp has been called "a sure-fire crowd pleaser with a rock-and-roll heart" by the New York Times, and been seen by 25+ million people in 40+ countries. Stomp has performed everywhere from The Acropolis to The Academy Awards. It has been parodied on The Simpsons, been an answer on "Jeopardy!," jammed with Mister Rogers and The Muppets, and collaborated with stars ranging from The Rolling Stones' Ron Wood to Paul Simon.

The show continues to wow audiences worldwide with its unique combination of theatre, dance, comedy and percussion. In addition to the New York show, Stomp is running in London's West End, and on North American and European tours.