Popular ‘Stomp’ troupe returns for fourth Spokane appearance

Theatergoers by the thousands – maybe even millions – have experienced that crucial “Stomp” moment when they realize that few things are more fun than watching eight people pound on garbage bins.

This weekend, “Stomp” visits Spokane for the fourth time. Plenty of people here have already experienced that moment, which helps explain why tickets are selling briskly for these two shows (don’t wait too long to get yours).

They are also well aware that the appeal of “Stomp” goes way beyond garbage cans. The percussion geniuses in “Stomp” also make beautiful music out of:

• Hubcaps.

• Brooms.

• Matchboxes.

• Poles.

• Zippo lighters.

• Sheet metal.

• Toilet plungers.

The result is a ridiculously joyous and exhilarating show. “Stomp” is so inventive and so engrossing that you may not even realize that, beyond the occasional exuberant shout, not a single word is spoken.

But that doesn’t mean there are no distinctive characters. Each of the people on stage creates an unspoken persona. There’s the clown and there’s the goof-off, for instance. These characters are defined almost exclusively through body language.

The entire evening is also performed with exceptional showmanship. Co-creator Steve McNicholas once said that the goal is “to make every percussion moment a performance moment.”

One of Spokane’s earlier “Stomp” visits included a routine with Zippo lighters, on a darkened stage, that came off looking like a spectacular mini-fireworks show.

The show’s creators, McNicholas and Luke Cresswell, came up with the concept of “Stomp” as a form of street play.

They were British buskers (street performers) who sometimes, in the name of fun, would make music out of anything at hand, including streetlights, bicycles and each other. Sometimes they would pound on things with drumsticks, sometimes with their hands and sometimes with their feet.

That concept of “play” is key to the show’s long-running appeal. When people walk into a “Stomp” performance and see those pots and pans hanging on the walls, they probably wish that they could run up and bang on them. The next best thing: watching talented percussionists do it.

“Stomp” is always evolving. When the tour last came through in 2004, the troupe had just added a new basketball segment and a complicated routine with folding chairs.

This time around, this mostly young crew will be pounding on some new instruments. Recent additions have included a tractor-tire inner tube routine and a paint can routine.

And some of the old favorites will no doubt be back. Who knew that a folded newspaper could make so much beautiful racket?