Review: STOMP at the Saban Theatre

Remember when you were a little kid and played with pots and pans in the kitchen?  Or perhaps you've had the experience of being an audience member to such a kid.  At some point while watching STOMP, I couldn't help but think about this scenario - the idea that everyday objects can be sources of music, about how early we might discover that knowledge.  There's something about STOMP that calls to this innate understanding of rhythm and sounds in everyday objects, but then makes you catch your breath with how complex the everyday can be and become.

STOMP showcases a group of talented artists who provide an entertaining experience of music, dance, and theatre.  There's no direct storyline or narrative that runs throughout the show, but there are often threads of a narrative that build throughout each performance piece - primarily for the sake of humor but also provides some level of audience interactivity.  Throughout each piece the cast performs with trashcans, lighters, broomsticks, regular sticks, water, pots, pans, and even plastic bags and newspapers.  While the loud and booming dance performances are quite spectacular, the more subdued piece involving the light and sound of Zippo lighters is equally impressive.  The show runs back and forth through loud and soft, chaotic and simple, powerful and slapstick.  It encompasses a series of differing dynamics in volume, display, and humor that create a level of exciting unpredictability; you never know what they're going to show you next. 

STOMP is running at The Saban Theatre until December 29, 2013.  There is currently a ticket discount running on ExperienceLA - Buy 4 Tickets to STOMP and Save $80. 

-Charity Tran, ExperienceLA Editor