Stomp, from the streets to the global stage

LONDON — Stomp co-creator Steve McNicholas never imagined their “quirky and different” little musical creation would grow into an international sensation now stomping its way around the world including the Philippines.

“Honestly, we absolutely had no idea,” Steve told The STAR and other Filipino reporters during an interview at The Ambassadors Theatre where Stomp’s West End show is currently running.

After a successful Manila run three years ago, wherein Filipino audiences were introduced to a stage spectacle that combines infectious rhythms from unconventional “instruments,” high-energy movement and visual comedy, Stomp is heading back to the Philippines come June 17 to 22 for another run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Main Theater. The STAR joined a press junket hosted by Lunchbox Theatrical Productions and Concertus Manila (also the groups that brought Phantom of the Opera and Wicked to the country) to catch the West End edition ahead of its return performance.   

Steve recalled that he and co-founder Luke Cresswell came up with Stomp in 1991 specifically for the Edinburgh Festival. Steve met Luke when he was 17 and part of a band, while Steve was part of a theater group, and they fused their groups together and presented street comedy musicals every year at the Edinburgh Festival. They became a hit, eventually releasing albums and even headlining a UK TV series. Then, the idea of Stomp came.

“When we made Stomp, we thought this wasn’t going to be as successful as the other things we did because we thought the other things were more commercial,” Steve said.

“We thought Stomp was a little bit left field and strange, and we didn’t think it would appeal to a lot of people basically because we made it for ourselves — if we wanted to see a show in Edinburgh, what would we like to see and we thought, we’d like to see something quirky and different, trying different things and experimenting music and crossing music and theater.”

The banging around of unlikely sources of music had its spark on the streets of London. “What happened was Luke and I, we used to also play on the streets. We used to play at the Piazza at the Covent Garden, and we used to play in Brighton, then around Europe. We did street performances and it was a band, but were very theatrical. Luke was the drummer. I played the violin and the guitar, and sang. He (Luke) used to improvise.” Then, during performances, they would move around and grab people, drawing audience participation.

Steve said that once Luke was mobile, he would tap and bang everyday stuff in sight, like a parked bicycle or the dustbins. People would crowd around, including the policemen, forming a curious if not entertained presence.

Stomp has evolved so much since it started and reached West End, Broadway and other countries, losing and gaining routines, but still harnessing that “there-is-music-in-everything” spirit. Stompers — as the members are called — are asked to bring their own creativity to the show and not to be copycats; they are never told how to exactly play their part.

“Part of the secret of the success of the show is when you see any of the productions, it feels like an original production. It doesn’t feel like a copy, or that it feels like this is the touring company, or this is not the Broadway company or not the West End company. (All members) are all equally important in each performance,” said Steve.

One of the craziest and most-applauded segments features the newspaper. Steve shared, “That piece started with the playing cards, then one day we decided to switch it to newspapers, and that made so much more sense. I really liked the idea that these people in this world, they are all sitting there with newspapers, but we don’t really know if they are reading the papers or pretending to read them? So, it kinda makes nonsense of it (laughs).”

From originating in the streets, Stomp has since toured 350 cities in more than 35 countries to date.

Each show is led by a crew of eight Stompers.

What does it take to be Stomper?

“If you think you have a sense of rhythm and a sense of humor, come audition,” Steve said. “We get a mix of people — we have drummers, dancers, percussionists and physical comedians. The show always ends up with a mix of all of those.”

Stomp’s many productions over the years have had Filipino members. One of them was Rory Flores, who was a Stomper for about a decade and was a well-loved dance director and “sarge” (or how the leader of a Stomp show is dubbed). The first time Stomp came to the Philippines, the members dedicated the show to his memory.

When Stomp returns on June 17 to 22, they’re bringing the Filipino-American Stomper Andres Fernandez who will be playing multiple roles. The Hawaii-born Andres, who has been a Stomper since 1997, told The STAR in a separate interview: “I look forward to reconnecting with my family there in the Philippines. My dad has 17 brothers and sisters, so there’s a lot of people that I will be reconnecting with.”

Steve said, “I don’t know why it is, we had a lot of Filipinos over the years, and pretty much all of them are the top stompers, I don’t know what it is about the Philippines, but you make great Stompers.”

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