A cast member beats on a coil of gutter drain. (Steve McNicholas Photo)If you go
› What: “Stomp”› Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.› When: 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 11-12; 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12› Admission: $37, $52, $67 and $77 plus fees› For more information: 423-757-5580
Growing up in Virginia, Jeremy Price was a 7-year-old B-Boy - a break dancer who competed in break-dancing battles until he discovered drums. By 15, he was playing in bands picking up cash in gigs with country and blues bands.
He tried a year in high-school marching band - too structured. He did a season in Drum and Bugle Corps - also too regimented.
"It was hard to pay to do those activities when I was making money elsewhere," he explains.
Then, in 2003, he auditioned for Stomp - a performance style in which his percussion and dance skills were beneficial and it could never be described as regimented.
"The common tie (between the performers in Stomp) is that there is some sort of charisma, something you can't teach, in each," Price says of a cast he describes as mavericks.
"Maverick performers have a hard time fitting in - you won't find them in studios, in structured ballet classes. They are jacks of numerous trades and masters of none, although I have met a few masters. This show is fertile ground to explore ourselves."
Stomp's eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments - matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps - to entertain its audiences with surprising and magnificent rhythms.
Chattanoogans can see what the noise is about when "Stomp" plays three shows at the Tivoli Theatre on Friday and Saturday, May 11-12.
Price says the cast of eight come onstage one at a time.
"You know nothing about them. But by the end of the show, you'll know there is a leader, a dancer, a prolific drummer and that each has a role. Rather than a plot, there is a premise: to make music out of mundane, everyday objects."
For example, the cast raps on squeaky grocery carts and water jugs for an exhilarating number called "Trolleys." The cast beats out a synchronized drumstick rhythm while standing in huge, 15-pound, inner tubes in "Donuts."
"We have a new one called 'Frogs' because the equipment used for plumbing in the United Kingdom is accordion-like tubing. You attach it, pull it and it scrunches up and opens up, making a 'ribbit' sound," says Price.
And just when you think you've seen everything, Price and his pals will play trash bags. Without giving too much away, the cast turns garbage into great theater that Price says "always gets raucous applause."
The creative minds behind Stomp today are the same ones who founded its performances in Brighton, England: Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. They built their idea from street comedy to a worldwide theatrical production. Price says "Trolleys" and "Donuts" are their creations.
Price says he has played four of the eight onstage roles.
"There's not a prop I don't play: brooms, poles, donuts, trolleys, bags - I even swing from the ceiling. Audiences can expect the classic making music with everyday objects, but one reason the show has been around so long is it has tons of comedy and tons of interaction with the characters."
Contact Susan Pierce at pierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.