Andres Fernandez

One thing I really love about STOMP is that no matter how many times you've seen it, there are always a few new bits thrown in for you to enjoy. It's a constantly evolving show, although you can bet it will always begin with the troupe using their brooms to demonstrate how common items can be utilized to produce music and magic. Productions have been touring the world with various participants for so many years now that it's even become a touchstone for parents, who have already experienced it, to take their children to see it for the first time. My own son has seen it at least three times, but has grown to appreciate it even more as he's gotten older and more into music. The touring company that just passed through The Fabulous Fox Theatre (April 10-12, 2015) proved, once again, that the poly-rhythmic textures that reverberate in the venues they play overflow with a truly joyful noise that both amuses and delights.

Tap dance on 'roids and LSD* -- that is what STOMP is.

With the people behind STOMP already having a general idea on how Filipino audiences respond to the show's unique theatricality--based on how it had wowed audiences in its first run at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in 2011--perhaps the biggest surprise that awaits STOMP's impending return to the CCP from Tuesday, June 17, to Sunday, June 22, is how having a Filipino-American cast member Andres Fernandez would draw in a novel kind of enthusiasm from his fellow Pinoys.

After STOMP creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas' statements on Cameron Mackintosh's purchase and plans for the show's current London home, the Ambassadors Theatre, BWW's Philippines-based reporters joined a media contingent on a trip to London to experience the one-of-a-kind noise and energy that STOMP has been creating for the past 12 years in the West End.

My first experience with Stomp was when I was working at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston in the late 90s as a theatre manager. I recall watching from the back as small bits of plaster floated to the ground. The old building didn't know what it was in for.

Today, we bring you a list of the most-read stories in our regional markets for the week of September 10 in another edition of 'Around BWW: Regional Highlights of the Week'. Browse over to your favorite far-away city/country to see what's making news, see what productions are playing around the country and overseas and get to know new performers! Enjoy this virtual trek around the globe and stay tuned for next week's recap of regional not-to-be-missed news!

STOMP is a show unlike any other in the theatrical world. It features a cast of multi-talented performers from a variety of backgrounds, who use everyday objects such as brooms, paint cans, drumsticks, bins, and even tractor tire inner tubes to create music. I recently had the opportunity to speak with cast member Andres Fernandez. Mr. Fernandez, originally from Hawaii, has backgrounds in music and dance. In high school he played trombone, and later went on tour throughout Hawaii singing and dancing with his brother. He has now been a part of the STOMP cast for 15 years.

If you've ever drummed on your steering wheel to a song on the radio, or absentmindedly tapped your pencil on your desk, creating your own rhythmic accompaniment, then you've already grasped the concept at the heart of STOMP. Over the course of an hour and a half, a group of performers demonstrate how you can make music with just about anything, and in doing so, create a genuinely joyful noise. It's akin to taking the guy in office with the annoying habit of beating on things, and elevating what he does to high art; and it works like a charm. A lively and energetic group of performers are currently appearing on stage at the Fox Theatre for a three-day engagement of STOMP (March 25-27, 2011), and it's a very entertaining show fit for the whole family.

Off-Broadway Hit plays the Baltimore's Hippodrome Theatre through March 28.

I first saw STOMP over four years ago at another, smaller, Boston theatre. I remember being absolutely amazed at how the performers took what seemed like the ordinary and morphed it into an extraordinary fusion of rhythm, dance, and an innovative style of music...