Start banging the trash cans: Stomp, the long-running percussion extravaganza that’s been a popular Off Broadway audience draw for nearly 30 years, will resume performances on Tuesday, July 20, yet another sign that New York City’s theater scene is emerging from its now-15-month Covid hibernation.
When it returns to the Orpheum Theatre, its home in Manhattan’s East Village for the past 26 years, Stomp will be among the city’s first Off Broadway productions to resume performances post-pandemic shutdown. The show, by now a New York institution, features performers – “body percussionists,” in the parlance of the production – who utilize a variety of objects, from trash cans and hubcaps to Zippo lighters and their own boots to create a symphony of beats and rhythms.
“For us, Stomp has always been about connecting with the audience,” said co-creators Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell in a statement announcing the reopening, “having a shared experience with them and celebrating rhythm together. We can’t wait to bring Stomp and New York audiences back together again in the Orpheum.”
Tickets will go on sale on June 21. A touring company, which has been crisscrossing America for the past 25 years, resumes on August 16 in Utica, NY at The Stanley Theatre.
In its Off Broadway return, Stomp will require that all cast, crew, staff and audiences entering the Orpheum show proof of vaccination prior to entry, and audiences will have to be masked. The company will adjust protocols as official Covid-19 guidance evolves.
A new trailer heralding the reopening depicts the Stomp performers emerging from their Covid-era Zoom existences to once again make a joyful noise onstage. Check it out above.