STOMP Live in Manila – See What All The Noise Is About!

Official Press Release

STOMP Live in Manila
See What All The Noise Is About!

STOMP, the most invigorating and innovative musical spectacle that has gotten the world clamoring for more, is finally coming to Manila! The highly-anticipated show that features a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, will be staged at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, CCP from October 18-23. 2011 for a limited season only.

Brought to you by VISA, STOMP is a high-energy, percussive symphony, coupled with dance. Although STOMP is played entirely on non-traditional instruments, such as garbage can lids, buckets, brooms and sticks, it transforms the stage into a pulsating, witty, and utterly irresistible theatrical event. It has little or no melody in the traditional sense, so it doesn’t matter if your taste in music is jazz, classical, dance or pop. STOMP has no words yet, everyone can understand it.

Founded in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991, STOMP was the result of 10-year collaboration between its creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. STOMP was previewed at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and premiered at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became the Guardian’s “Critic’s Choice” and won the Daily Express “Best of the Fringe” award. 

Between 1991 and 1994 the original cast of STOMP played to capacity audiences around the world: from Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Dublin to Sydney. The touring culminated in a sellout season at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in January 1994, where STOMP received an Olivier nomination for “Best Entertainment” and won “Best Choreography in a West End show”.

STOMP began its run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in February 1994 and quickly went on to win both an Obie and a Drama Desk award for “Most Unique Theatre Experience”. By the summer of 1994 the first American cast was in place at the Orpheum, freeing the original cast for sell out tours of North America and Japan.

STOMP, now on its 9th year in London’s West End and its 17th year on Broadway, sets its unique feet stamping, fingers drumming and adrenaline rushing feel good sensations to audiences totaling more than 15 million in 48 countries across 5 continents, producing pure stage magic.

History of STOMP! 

STOMP!, a unique combination of percussion, movement and visual comedy, was created in Brighton, UK, in the summer of 1991. It was the result of a ten year collaboration between its creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas.

They first worked together in 1981, as members of the street band Pookiesnackenburger and the theatre group, Cliff Hanger. Together, these groups presented a series of street comedy musicals at the Edinburgh Festival throughout the early ‘80s. After two albums, a UK TV series and extensive touring throughout Europe, Pookiesnackenburger also produced the highly acclaimed “Bins” commercial for Heineken lager. The piece was originally written and choreographed by Luke as part of the band’s stage show: it proved to be the starting point for STOMP!’s climatic dustbin dance.

In 1986, Luke and Steve created an eight minute “percussive movie” for Bette Midler’s HBO special, “Mondo Beyondo”.

Between 1987 and 1990, Luke staged, as artistic and musical director, four large scale outdoor events, including “Beat the Clyde”, which involved floating a drum orchestra on a pontoon in the centre of Glasgow; the largest of these events, the “Heineken Hove Lagoon show”, involved a hundred and twenty piece drum orchestra featuring the Brighton Festival Chorus and a full orchestral string section.

In 1991 Steve and Luke first created “STOMP!”, previewing at London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and premiering at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh, where it became the Guardian’s “Critic’s Choice” and won the Daily Express “Best of the Fringe” award.

Between 1991 and 1994 the original cast of STOMP! played to capacity audiences around the world: from Hong Kong to Barcelona, from Dublin to Sydney. The touring culminated in a sellout season at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in January 1994, where STOMP! received an Olivier nomination for “Best Entertainment” and won “Best Choreography in a West End show”.

An expanded version of STOMP!, involving up to 30 cast members, was originally created for the Brighton Festival, UK, and was subsequently presented in Melbourne, Australia. It was most recently seen in September 1995, open air, at the Acropolis in Athens and at the Royal Festival Hall, London. This production broke all box office records, which had been established by Frank Sinatra in 1972.

STOMP! began its run at the Orpheum Theatre in New York in February 1994 and quickly went on to win both an Obie and a Drama Desk award for “Most Unique Theatre Experience”. By the summer of 1994 the first American cast was in place at the Orpheum, freeing the original cast for sell out tours of North America and Japan.

In the summer of 1995, two more American productions were created for the sole purpose of US touring, which continues to this day. US casts have also debuted STOMP! in Chile, Brazil and Korea. Meanwhile, a fifth STOMP! company, also touring from the UK, was formed in 1997 and has consistently toured the world ever since. This company presented STOMP! for the first time in Scandinavia and South Africa and has been a regular visitor to Germany, Holland and France. Another STOMP! production opened in San Francisco in May 2000 running for two and a half years.

The original cast of STOMP! have recorded music for the Tank Girl movie soundtrack and appeared on the Quincy Jones album, “Q’s Jook Joint”. A soundtrack recorded by Steve and Luke for the Showtime Movie, “Riot”, was released in the Spring of 1997. STOMP! has also featured in a number of commercials, including Coca Cola’s “Ice Pick” and numerous spots for both Target stores in the US and Toyota in Japan.

STOMP! also created the “Mr Frears’ Ears” series of short films created for Nickelodeon, whilst “Brooms”, a fifteen minute short based around the opening routine, was nominated for an Academy Award. “Brooms was also selected for screening at Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival and for competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

STOMP! made a special appearance at the Academy Awards in March 1996 with an original piece involving the live synchronization of classic film clips and onstage action, featuring 20 performers from all five productions.

In the summer of 1997, Steve and Luke created and directed “STOMP! Out Loud”, a 45 minute television special for HBO, which combined stage material with new pieces created for TV. It was premiered in the USA in December 1997 and subsequently received 4 Emmy nominations, for direction, sound mixing, multi-camera editing and art direction. 1998 saw the release of the

STOMP! OUT LOUD video and DVD around the world. Another unique blend of live action and film footage was created for the Emmy Awards, in which STOMP! effectively performed with Spike Jones! 

STOMP! performed after midnight on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at US President Clinton’s Millennium celebrations. During 2000, a Sesame Street special, “Let’s Make Music”, a collaboration between STOMP! and the muppets, was released on TV and video in North America. 

Luke and Steve began production of their IMAX movie PULSE: a STOMP! Odyssey, in Brazil during Carnival 2000 and completed it in the summer of 2002. PULSE takes the IMAX audience on a spectacular global journey, featuring performances from KODO, TIMBALADA and EVA YERBABUENA. It was released to critical acclaim in New York in the autumn of 2002, and went on to win 2 major awards at the International Festival of La Geode in Paris. In September 2002, STOMP! finally entered London’s West End at the Vaudeville Theatre, and later that year STOMP! performed as part of the Royal Variety Show for the second time.

2003 saw a new STOMP! production open at the Stuart Street Theatre in Boston and a unique Dolby Digital trailer featuring STOMP! performances debuted in cinemas across the globe.

In 2004 New York celebrated 10 years of continuous performances of STOMP! at the Orpheum Theatre by renaming 2nd Avenue on 8th Street: STOMP! Avenue. 

Original UK cast: Luke Cresswell, Nick Dwyer, Sarah Eddy, Theseus Gerard, Fraser Morrison, David Olrod, Carl Smith and Fiona Wilkes.

 

TICKETING INFORMATION

STOMP is staged at CCP, Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo from October 18-23. Tickets are priced at P750, P1000, P1500, P2000, P2500, P3000, P3500, P4000, P4500, P5000, P5500, and P7000. Senior citizens enjoy a 20% discount.

All tickets are available at all TicketWorld outlets, selected National Bookstore branches, Robinsons Department Store (Galleria, Malate, Metro East, Festival Mall & Starmill Pampanga), and Ayala Center (Greenbelt 1, Glorietta 4, and Trinoma Mall Cinema Booths) and TicketWorld Office at 6793 Ayala Avenue, Suite 701 V. Madrigal Building, Makati City.  To book, call +632 891 9999, or visit TicketWorld’s website www.ticketworld.com.ph

STOMP is brought to you by VISA. OOCL is the Official Ocean Carrier. Dusit Thani Manila is the Official Hotel. Special thanks to STOMP media partners: ETC, 2nd Avenue, Jack TV, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Business World, Manila Bulletin, Crossover 105.1 FM, Monster Radio RX 93.1, and Radio High 105.9FM