Review: STOMP at Capital One Hall

Is STOMP a percussion performance? Is it dance? Theatre? Maybe circus arts? STOMP blends all that and more in one big powerful, fun and inventive production.

Hurry because the national tour of STOMP is here for a brief five-performance run through April 7 at Capital One Hall in Tysons.

In STOMP, anything can be used to drive a beat and set the rhythm. Brooms, trashcans, grocery carts, inner tubes, suitcases – everything including kitchen sinks are objects to play with and explore. Zippo lighters, plastic bags and the performers’ bodies are pressed into action to create surprising and exuberant music.

There’s no dialogue in STOMP, but plenty of powerful action, precision moves, and joyful discovery. Who knew all of the crazy sounds that can come from our everyday objects? But even without words there’s expression and connection between the performers and the audience.

STOMP has toured for decades, but even for those who have seen the production once or twice before there are new surprises, whether from two new full-scale routines or the fresh interpretation of new cast members. It’s worth revisiting – and introducing others to the production. STOMP is appropriate for all ages; the enthusiastic packed house at Capital One Hall on Friday earned cheers from kindergarteners and grandparents alike.

STOMP creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas began working together in fringe festivals and street performance in the UK in the 1980s. They launched STOMP in 1991 in London and it has grown into an international sensation over the past 33 years, performing in more than 50 countries and in front of more than 26 million people. They’ve performed at the Lincoln Memorial, the Acropolis in Athens, and at the Olympic Games. STOMP has made guest appearances on television shows ranging from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to General Hospital to Reading Rainbow.

Cresswell and McNicholas still direct the show today.

Jude Caminos, Micah Cowher, Jose Filgueira, John Gavin, Declan Hayden, Madeline Jafari, Zahna Johnson, Jasmine Joyner, Cary Lamb Jr., Sean Perham, Ivan Salazar and Cade Slattery are the talented and charismatic ensemble. They bring power and joy to the performance.

The multilevel set includes ladders that cast members use to move up and down, and even a metal grid from which drummers swing from tethered cords. Lighting by Steve McNicholas and Neal Tiplady adds drama, contrasting a wash of light with focused spots.

The Tysons tour stop is a limited run just through April 7 but there will also be a nearby stop at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre on April 26 and 27.

STOMP celebrates the creativity and ingenuity of all the ways we can explore sound, movement, and the wonder of everything that we come into contact with every day. Don’t miss this short run.

Running Time: 1 hour 40 minutes with no intermission

Ages 4+

STOMP is part of the Broadway in Tysons series at Capital One Hall, 7750 Capital One Tower Road, Tysons, VA 22102. Remaining performances are Saturday April 6 at 2 pm and 8 pm, and Sunday April 7 at 1 pm and 7 pm. For tickets performance information, attendance policies and further information visit the Capital One Hall website.

STOMP Cast: Jude Caminos, Micah Cowher, Jose Filgueira, John Gavin, Declan Hayden, Madeline Jafari, Zahna Johnson, Jasmine Joyner, Cary Lamb Jr., Sean Perham, Ivan Salazar and Cade Slattery.

Created and directed by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.

Production Manager Ricardo de Arruda Camargo, Assistant Company Manager George Finley-Pile, Production Carpenter Mark Miller, Lighting Director Brian Claggett, Production Props Austin Huehn, Production Electrician Andrew Hildner, Production Sound Steve J. Reynolds.

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