Famed for cleverly turning everyday objects into musical instruments and props, the fun, wordless dance show from Broadway and the West End returns to Singapore – with new materials added – following their sell-out run in 2009. Gwen Pew asks three veteran Stomp performers about their favourite unconventional musical instruments.
23 May 2013:
Angus Little, 30, ten years with Stomp:
Fav musical instrument: Broom
‘The amount of interesting things you can do with a wooden broom is infinite. I can do things with them that I never thought possible before I started Stomp– not only can they clean floors, you can flip them, spin them, ride them, balance them, make amazing rhythmic routines or even do the tango with them. We go through up to 30 brooms in one show, although we are only meant to use eight at the most. Wood is known to break when you slam it against a hard floor…’
Ian Vincent, 25, five years with Stomp:
Fav musical instrument: Shopping trolley
‘It’s something we use so often in normal life and would never think of as an instrument. We strap a small plastic box and an empty water cooler bottle inside the trolley, and then use the box as a bass kick drum, the bottle as a snare and also the rims and edges of the trolley itself to create different sounds. We usually use five trolleys in the show.’
Cameron Newlin, 39, fifteen years with Stomp:
Fav musical instrument: Kitchen sink<br
‘I love the kitchen sink as it’s fun to play. Plus, the routine takes a bit from every part of what Stomp is about – rhythm, comedy, audience participation, etc. Its function is to hold water, play different tones and make you laugh (hopefully). We use only four of them per show, but they’re quite resilient and stay in service for years as they’re quite resilient.’
GWEN PEW 