'Stomp' returns for limited run at Bank of America Theatre

The updated version of "Stomp," which is returning this week to Chicago for a limited run, came with a price.

And the dancer/percussionists who comprise "Stomp's" ensemble paid it - with black eyes and bumps on the noggin they received while rehearsing a new number in which they play percussion while juggling paint cans.

"The rehearsal process was insane," recalls Nicholas Young, a 32-year-old tap dancer and drummer and seven-year "Stomp" veteran who knows of what he speaks. The Austin, Tex., native who also serves as the rehearsal director for this touring production, sustained several injuries in order to pursue this particular passion.

But from those bumps and bruises came a thrilling new number, one of several that characterize this latest version of Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas' creation, which began as a street performance in the United Kingdom nearly 20 years ago and grew into an international sensation.

Also new to the production is "Donuts" - a piece with a comical edge - featuring tractor-trailer inner tubes secured around the waists of the dancers by bungee cords. Additionally, the creators have incorporated their version of the guiro, a Latin percussion instrument re-imagined here with strip lighting recycling containers, into the iconic trash can number.

There's also a number with Zippo lighters from the Las Vegas show, the return of the basketballs, new music and a revamped finale, says Young, who likens "Stomp" to a favorite rock show fans want to see again and again.

"It appeals to everybody," says Young.

His solos include the broom bit that opens the show and doesn't require audiences to follow a storyline, but invites them to simply "follow the characters through the snow globe we create for ourselves."

"Stomp" runs April 27 to May 2 at the Bank of America Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., Chicago. For tickets, call (800) 775-2000 or see broadwayinchicago.com.