STOMP Returns to PPAC With New Surprises

STOMP, the international sensation, is making its triumphant return to the Providence Performing Arts Center. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured, and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans.

STOMP will be at PPAC from February 20 - 22, 2009, and performance times are as follows: Friday, February 20 at 8P; Saturday, February 21 at 5P & 9P; and Sunday, February 22 at 1P & 6:30P. Tickets for STOMP are $50.00, $45.00, $43.00, $38.00, $33.00, and $28.00; all ticket prices include a $3 per ticket restoration charge. Tickets for all shows may be purchased at PPAC's Box Office window at 220 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, or by calling (401) 421-ARTS, Monday - Friday from 10A - 5P and Saturday from 10A - 2P; patrons may also visit www.ppacri.org to purchase tickets any time. Discounted admission is available for groups of 20 or more; for more information, contact Paul Hiatt at (401) 574-3162 or via email at phiatt@ppacri.org.

"After creating new routines for Stomp_Out_Loud/">Stomp Out Loud in Vegas, [co-creator] Luke Cresswell and I decided it was time to rework elements of our main production, STOMP," said co-creator Steve McNicholas. "STOMP has evolved a great deal ever since its first incarnation at the Edinburgh Festival. Every reworking has involved losing some pieces and gaining new ones, but has always stayed true to the original premise of the show: to create rhythmic music with instantly recognizable objects, and do it with an eccentric sense of character and humor."

The changes that can now be seen in the tour of STOMP are the biggest since the late 1990's. A new piece, "Paint Cans, " evolved out of the "Boxes" routine in the Las Vegas show and "Donuts" is a piece that implements huge tractor tire inner tubes, worn around the waist on a bungee cord. For many years, the creators had looked for a STOMP equivalent of the Latin percussion instrument the guiro, a gourd-shaped open-ended instrument with ridges along the side that are rubbed by a wooden stick to create its sound. The climactic trashcan sequence "Bins" has been restructured to include a guiro-like newfound instrument: strip-lighting recycling containers.

From its beginnings as a street performance in the UK, STOMP has grown into an international sensation over the past 14 years, having performed in over 350 cities in 36 countries worldwide. STOMP continues its phenomenal run with the ongoing sell-out Off-Broadway production at New York's Orpheum Theatre, a North American tour, and two productions overseas - a London company and a European tour. A production in Las Vegas from STOMP's creators, Stomp_Out_Loud/">Stomp Out Loud, is now playing at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

STOMP, an overwhelming success marked by rave reviews, numerous awards and sell-out engagements, is the winner of an Olivier Award for Best Choreography (London's Tony Award), a New York Obie Award, a Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatre Experience, and a Special Citation from Best Plays. The young performers "make a rhythm out of anything we can get our hands on that makes a sound," says co-creator/director Luke Cresswell. Stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra; Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. STOMP uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - trashcans, tea chests, plastic bags, plungers, boots, and hubcaps - to fill the stage with compelling and infectious rhythms.

Critics and audiences have raved: "STOMP is as crisp and exuberant as if it had opened yesterday," says The New York Times. The San Francisco Chronicle declares "STOMP has a beat that just won't quit!" The Los Angeles Times exclaims: "Electrifying! Triumphs in the infinite variety of the human experience." "A phenomenal show! Bashing, crashing, smashing, swishing, banging and kicking - a joyous invention!" says the Chicago Tribune. STOMP is directed by co-creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. For more information, visit www.stomponline.com.
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The Providence Performing Arts Center is a historic theatre building, opened in October 1928 and now celebrating its 80th Anniversary. It was originally a Loew's movie palace and over the years, it has had various name changes until it was renamed the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) in 1982. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, PPAC currently presents top-flight touring Broadway productions, family shows, concerts, and more.

Log on to www.ppacri.org for more information on the 2008/2009 season.

 

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