The long-running Off-Broadway show Stomp will close in January, concluding a three-decade run in Manhattan’s East Village.
The show, which features an eight-member cast, has no words and comprises percussion, movement, and everyday objects like lighters, brooms, boots, shopping carts, trash cans, and hammers being turned into music.
The show will play its last performance on January 8, 2023, and will continue its North American and European tours.
In a statement released Tuesday, Stomp’s producers said, ‘We fell in love with Stomp when we first saw it in Europe and when we brought this hard-to-describe show here, we imagined that it would find an audience.’
‘We could not have imagined the remarkable success it would enjoy, becoming part of popular culture, touring for years, and making an unmistakable imprint on the theatre landscape here and all over the world.
‘While we’re sad to see it close at The Orpheum Theatre, we couldn’t be prouder of the impact that Stomp has had — and will continue to have — as the tours run both here and in Europe,’ they said.
The percussion show that uses everyday objects and movement to create a dynamic performance will close after nearly thirty years playing Off-Broadway in NYC’s East Village
Producers did not give a reason why the show is closing, but the NYC theatre landscape has still not returned to full strength following the COVID pandemic
For the show’s entire New York City run, it has played at the East Village’s Off Broadway Orpheum theatre. Producers thanked the staff of the theatre who worked tireless to make the show a hit from its first show to its last
Though the producers did not offer a specific reason for the show’s close in their statement, the New York theatre industry has still not fully recovered following the COVID pandemic.
The New York Times the closure is due to declining ticket sales.
Unlike some shows playing further uptown, Stomp was among the first performances to return to the stage following the COVID lockdowns. It reopened in July of 2021, following a 15-month hiatus.
The show opened at the Orpheum in late Febru as a ‘modern vaudeville revue with a rock-and-roll heart, it is part tap-dance display (using some of the heaviest taps ever attached to shoes), part military drill, part swinging street festival.’
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The show’s co-creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas said, ‘We are so proud that the East Village and the Orpheum Theatre has been Stomp’s home for so many wonderful years and want to thank our producers and our amazing cast, crew and front of house staff, all of whom have worked so hard for so long to make the show such a success.’
‘They have always given 100% to every audience, from the very beginning in 1994 to the post lockdown audiences of 2022
‘We want to thank everyone involved for such an incredible New York run,’ they said.
Stomp has toured on both American continents and in Europe and the cast have taken part in various ceremonies around the world, including the closing of the 2012 Olympics
Like many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, Stomp has suffered declining ticket sales since reopening after the COVID pandemic
Since its mid-90s premiere, Stomp has toured on both American continents and in Europe. The show also enjoyed long-running stints in San Francisco, Boston, and Las Vegas, as well as a production in London’s West End.
The award-winning show has performed across the globe at major award shows and during the 2012 Olympics Closing Ceremony, as well as on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during meu president Bill Clinton’s Millennium New Year’s Celebration.
According to the outlet, the show has played across the globe in ‘Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dubai, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.’
Stomp joins Broadway’s longest-running show, The Phantom of the Opera, in closing in 2023. Shows including Come From Away and Evan Hansen, which both enjoyed long runs, are also closing citing poor ticket sales.
