Disclaimer: I received tickets to the opening performance of Stomp at the Straz Center through the Tampa Bay Bloggers group. I was not compensated monetarily for this review. All opinions are my own as always.
The first time I saw Stomp was probably 10 years ago. We went to one of their shows at the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale. We have been waiting for years to take the girls to see Stomp. We just knew they’d be so interested in the music, dance and comedy of the show.
First let me say that the facilities at the Straz are top notch. Since moving to Plant City we’ve gone there almost once a year for different shows: Dora the Explorer, Backyardigans, Wicked, NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, Louie CK, The Book of Mormon and now Stomp. As you can see we’ve gone there with and without the girls and we’ve always had a great time. The Straz is located just off I-4 and parking is a breeze. You don’t have to walk very far at all to get to the show.
There are plenty of places to eat around the Straz, but if you are in a rush, you can grab a quick bite at Maestro’s. My family had their hot dogs for dinner while I tried their curried chicken wrap. After eating we had some time before the show began so we decoded to “explore”. Currently on display was a sculpture exhibition titled “Performance in Sculpture”. Thirteen pieces are available for viewing through 2015 before performances at both Louise Lykes Ferguson Hall and Carol Morsani Hall. The girls picked out their favorites and it was time for the show.
If you’ve never seen Stomp before, get ready to be amazed by not only their music talent but their physical abilities. During the whole show I kept wondering how do they have the energy to perform this late at night? I mean, they are jumping, smacking drums, throwing stuff all while keeping the beat and keeping you on the edge of your seat. Simply amazing. It just goes to show that “fitness” comes in different forms.
At the beginning they started the show with some brooms. One of the brooms actually broke and before you could even say anything about it there was a replacement broom flying into the stage. Simply amazing. The coordination and backstage support that was shown during last night’s performance left me at a loss for words.
Stomp will be performing at the Straz Center May 1- May 3, 2014. If you are looking for something fun for the whole family, you might want to check them out. I know my girls will be “stomping” around the house for a while.
