One Minute World Arts- Stomp: Leaving Its NYC Home After 30 Years
No words. No background music. Stomp is one of a kind, a vibrant performance shot to its international fame by combining unconventional “instruments” with the percussion spectacle of tapping, banging, sweeping, and twirling, making the audience clap their hands and “stomp” their feet while soaking in its lively atmosphere. The long-running show was premiered in 1991 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 1994, it arrived in New York City and found its Off-Broadway home at the Orpheum Theater in the East Village. At that time, Stomp was entertaining visitors and audiences alongside the outstanding Blue Man Group, as well as some artists performing at iconic venues of punk and indie-rock music.
Gradually, the other shows faded out, but Stomp strived to stay “alive and kicking”, pulling through great challenges such as September 11, a gas explosion on Second Avenue, and the Covid pandemic. However, after nearly 3 decades, the production was eventually closed for good on January 8, 2023 due to declining ticket sales, bidding farewell to its NYC home after the final performance. For many, it is hard to picture a NYC without Stomp, as the show has long been an integral part of the Big Apple, signifying the city’s liveliness and colorfulness. Luckily, despite the fact that the show has bowed out of NYC, its world tour will continue. Stomp is scheduled to perform in Taiwan in September 2023.
《破銅爛鐵》：30年打擊經典敲響紐約落幕鐘聲
沒有語言，沒有配樂，以獨特風格名聞遐邇的《破銅爛鐵》（Stomp），把隨手可得的日常物品當樂器，創造出生動幽默、韻律十足的擊樂表演。此一飽經時間淬鍊的節目，乃於1991年在愛丁堡國際藝穗節（Edinburgh Fringe Festival）首演，之後在1994年來到位於紐約東村的奧芬劇院（Orpheum Theater）駐演，與當時也在這一帶表演的知名團體「藍人樂團」（Blue Man Group），以及其他深具指標性的龐克音樂、獨立搖滾藝術家，一同娛樂來訪的觀眾和旅客。
近30年後，當初一起打造音樂表演黃金時代的老戰友們逐一退場，《破銅爛鐵》宛如一盞孤燈高懸，勉力撐過911恐怖攻擊、鄰近街區瓦斯氣爆，以及新冠疫情等重大挑戰，最終卻仍不敵票房因素，決定在2023年1月8日正式謝幕，告別植根已久的大蘋果。對許多人來說，《破銅爛鐵》早已是紐約奔放多彩的文化圖像中，一道令人難忘的風景，因此簡直無法想像這部作品也有從外百老匯消失的一天。不過，儘管它已退出紐約的駐演據點奧芬劇院，其世界巡演的腳步並未中斷，且預計將於今年9月抵達臺灣演出。
Photo Credit ©Rachel Papo, Lois Greenfield, Zack DeZon
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/theater/stomp-closing.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/04/theater/stomp-closing-memories.html
https://www.klook.com/zh-TW/event-detail/101004014-2022-stomp-taipei/