Major Off-Broadway Show Closing After 29-Year Run

Stomp, which has attracted tourists and locals to its Off-Broadway East Village theater for nearly 30 years, will close on Jan. 8, 2023, the producers announced on Dec. 6. The show, combining movement, percussion, and comedy, will continue to tour North America and Europe, Deadline reported. While producers did not say why the theater closed, the New York theatre industry has not yet fully recovered to pre-Covid levels. According to The New York Times, the show has stated that the New York production is ending because of declining ticket sales. On Tuesday, July 20, 2021, Stomp was one of New York's first stage productions to resume performances after the 15-month shutdown. The news comes after long-running Broadway shows, such as Come From Away and Dear Evan Hansen, have closed, and Broadway's longest-running show, The Phantom of the Opera, will close in April 2023. Those shows all cited the damage caused by the lengthy pandemic lockdown and the fact that audiences have not entirely recovered.

In a statement, 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." When Stomp closes in January, it will have played 11,472 performances at the Orpheum, not including 13 previews. 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." Over the past few decades, Stomp has toured throughout North America, South America, Central America, and Europe, with a long-running West End production in London and a sit-down production in San Francisco. Rarely have shows maintained such popularity worldwide, with performances in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Japan, and Norway. In the past, it was difficult to ignore the troupe of performers who appeared at the Academy Awards, in a TV public service announcement titled "Stomp Out Litter," filmed across New York City, and at the New Year's celebration of the millennium on the Lincoln Memorial steps. The show celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019.