‘Stomp Out Loud’ lives up to high expectations

Although the reviews have been very favorable, I wasn’t prepared for just how memorable "Stomp Out Loud" at Planet Hollywood Resort turned out to be. The little show that could has come a long way since its off-Broadway days of 1992.

This celebration of routine noise and visuals strikes me as a much richer, filled-out journey than its original version — and not just because the cast size has doubled to 16. The sketches have a more pronounced dramatic arc. They build more expertly, with structure and surprise.

Yet, the dialogueless "story" remains about nothing more than a group of energetic young people finding music in the oddest of places. When I went home afterward and tended to chores, I found myself, gulp, enjoying the sounds of my vacuum cleaner and clothes washer. The show reminds you of the beauty of the everyday, and it’s only right that we ordinary, struggling folk be grateful for that.

For me, "Stomp Out Loud" is the most fulfilling theater experience on the Strip. …

Kevin Spirtas, who, in last year’s Luxor production of "Hairspray" played Corny Collins — you know, the guy who had that TV dance show that all the cool kids wanted to be on — got in a clever dig at his recent Beyond the Neon one-man concert at Charleston Heights Arts Center. He asked the audience how many of its members did not see "Hairspray" in Vegas. When a smattering of hands went up, he glared, good-naturedly, and quipped, "It’s your fault I’m not working in Vegas right now."

The former ruthless surgeon Dr. Wesley from "Days of Our Lives" entertained a packed house with medleys of mostly Broadway standards. He got to perform numbers from the Peter Allen-bio "The Boy From Oz" — something he never was able to do during his one-year stint as Hugh Jackman’s standby, since Jackman never missed a performance. …

With all the new theater troupes that are formed locally every season or two — and then often disappearing as quickly — it’s easy to recommend Tony Award-winning producer Stewart F. Lane’s new book, "Let’s Put On a Show!"

The man behind "La Cage Aux Folles," "The Will Rogers Follies" and "Thoroughly Modern Millie," uses easy-to-understand and encouraging language to guide the reader from everything to show selection, finding a performance space ("theater doesn’t always have to be in a theater"), and marketing. He’s big on collaboration.

Our problem locally is that too many visionaries want to do it alone. Lane warns that not knowing how to assemble an eager creative and business team is a recipe for disaster.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.