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lost and found orchestra

venue: southbank centre

what we think: overwhelming and stunning !

by kid dub

I like to think that when a particular artist or a group of artists have been doing what they are great at, for long enough, at some point they evolve. So when I heard that the makers of STOMP had put a new show together, I got excited. I had a small inkling of what i was in for. STOMP is a show that is already hard to surpass. The creative genius is so original, and the coreorapphy so well written that is has spawned copy cats for year who cant even scratch the surface of what it is to be STOMP.

What started out way back in the year of my birth in 1981  as a street band named Pookiesnackenburger and a theatre group named Cliff Hanger, has grown over 10 years into theatre show that was ready for the world in 1991 in the form of STOMP created by Steve McNicholas & Luke Cresswell. 18 years later after countless world tours it has evolved into one of the most wondrous shows on earth.

Melodies are constructed by careful co-ordination between the cast who play everything from  cello cases with their thumbs and spit, to rubber tubes and hoses. Ginormous tubes at either side of the stage are pumped with wind and valve’d off to recreate an organ effect. The saw quarters are constant feature and percussion for timpani comes from gigantic metal and plastic cans. If ever I had been exposed to found sound, it was surely now.

A lot of the trickery and choreography does seem aweful familiar. Almost like a recycled STOMP show, but with a more musical purpose. But it was so good even then that it doesn’t bother. I still see this as a point moved on from there. Everything is so familiar but fresh. And not only fresh , but refreshing.

The show is very nicely paced. It doesn’t bore for a single second. For as much a treat as is to be shown a new way of appreciating melodies one might have heard before, visually there is so much going on its hard to choose what to focus on. Closing your eyes to appreciate the music here is simply just not an option!

What we have here is one of the world most entertaining and unique productions. Everyone is going to love this. I just can’t see why anyone wouldn’t.