The pulsating, percussive performance known as Stomp has reopened at the Orpheum Theater in the East Village. It’s one of the first long-running off-Broadway shows to come back after being closed during the pandemic.
What You Need To Know
- Fiona Mills was part of the original British cast of Stomp, and came to NYC to open the show in 1994
- The show has continued since then and so has Mills, who also met her husband after casting him in the show
- The pandemic was devastating across the live entertainment world, but especially to Mills, who dedicated most of adult life to Stomp
- Mills is overcome with emotion as Stomp reopens, saying sometimes you don't know just how important something is until it's taken away from you
As Fiona Mills rehearses with a cast of new “Stompers,” she reflects on her love affair with a show that has defined her career.
"I mean, I started doing the show when I was 21 years old,” Mills said. “I didn't think it was gonna last this long, you know, I've never done anything else in my life except Stomp pretty much.”
Mills started with the original production in Great Britain in 1991, and came with the show to New York City in 1994 - not thinking it would last too long. A non-traditional show with no spoken words — it’s been here ever since.
"Anybody can enjoy because there's no language barrier, it's just pure energy, it's also very funny. It's eight people on stage at any one time, but you can watch eight shows in a row and you'd see a different show because the different journeys and the interaction between the people is what makes it work," Mills said, at the theater.
Today, Mills is the rehearsal director for the show, which calls itself the "Rhythm of NY."
The sounds are certainly infectious. Stomp has been performed in theaters around the world, on TV and film, at the Olympics – plus, the show has collaborated with other entertainment icons including The Muppets and The Harlem Globetrotters.
Mills also met her husband, Jason, on the job.
"I auditioned him back in the day,” she said. “I trained him, and then we fell in love and now we have a 14-year-old. He's basically grown up on the stage.”
And so when COVID-19 shut down live entertainment, Mills was devastated. As a teacher with the National Dance Institute, she happily continued that work online.
When she heard Stomp would return, she was thrilled.
"When we got that phone call, it was like, hallelujah. It was just so, I can’t tell you how, how I felt,” Mills said, tearfully. “I was just so happy that it was coming back. I don't think you realize how much you miss something, 'til it's gone. And live theater, it’s in my blood. I just love it.”
A love she can share once again. Anyone 12 years old and older must show proof of vaccination to attend the show. For more information, visit Stomponline.com.