May the farce be with you: 'The Empire Strips Back' is next up at the Orpheum Theatre

A burlesque version of "Star Wars" is next up for the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue — the first production to play here after the 29-year run of "Stomp." 

Starting on May 10, "The Empire Strips Back" begins a limited run at the theater between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

Per the official description: "The classic 'Star Wars' characters are dropped into the world of burlesque. Comedy and striptease, loving detail and hilarious parody… Let us deliver you to the dark side."

Originally from Australia, this "Empire" has been touring around the globe since it first opened in 2011

Tickets go on sale Tuesday at noon. Sign up for info here.

"Stomp" ended its 29-year run at the Orpheum in early January. 

According to Cinema Treasures: "The site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City." 

In the 1980s, the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as "Little Shop of Horrors" in 1982, Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing" in 1988, Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" in 1990, John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth" in 1991, and David Mamet's "Oleanna" in 1992.

Jabba pic via the "The Empire Strips Back" site

Get ready to say so long to the Stomp sign

Photo by Steven 

Workers were spotted measuring the marquee today at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place... word is the "Stomp" sign will be coming down soon to make way for signage of a new production. 

No word just yet on what might be next here in the famed theater. (There are rumors of an April start date.)

"Stomp" ended its 29-year run here in early January. 

According to Cinema Treasures: "The site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City." 

In the 1980s, the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as Little Shop of Horrors in 1982, Sandra Bernhard's Without You I'm Nothing in 1988, Eric Bogosian's Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll in 1990, John Leguizamo's Mambo Mouth in 1991, and David Mamet's Oleanna in 1992.

Clearing out 'Stomp'

Photos by Steven 

Workers were spotted clearing out the Orpheum Theatre today... two days after "Stomp" ended its 29-year run here on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place...

Some items were going into waiting trucks... while other props were put on the curb. One of the workers said people could help themselves to the stuff...

... for your own homemade "Stomp" production...

After 29 years playing in the East Village, I finally decided to see 'Stomp' before it closed

The 29-year reign of "Stomp" concluded yesterday evening at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue. 

Per NPR on Saturday: 

"Twenty-nine years is a long time to sustain a run," "Stomp" co-producer and general manager Richard Frankel said. "Foreign tourists became a major part of our audience and they really have not returned to New York since COVID. It's been tough. We just aren't selling enough tickets."

The energetic percussion-based show opened here on Feb. 27, 1994, for an initial four-month run. Since then, I've walked by the theater between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place thousands of times and never had any interest in seeing the production. 

I'm not the biggest theater person, spending more time taking in live music, movies or art exhibits. Aside from seeing the marquee on a near-daily basis, "Stomp" didn't immediately register with me. At some point, I realized that "Stomp" had been playing here forever. I think it was 1997. 

As the production continued to catch on and become a tourist destination, the desire to never see it only intensified. 

I recall sitting with friends at the Grassroots on St. Mark's Place. Someone knew a cast member and went to see the show. Their reaction: "It was better than I expected." I heard that similar refrain from other people who had dreaded seeing it, mostly locals who brought relatives or other out-of-towners to the theater per their wishes. 

Unlike "Rent," which had local roots, "Stomp" came out of the 1980s United Kingdom street performance scene. I never saw a connection between the show and the neighborhood, other than where the venue was located. Still, Frankel, the producer, told NPR that "Stomp" "really captured the sensibility of the East Village in the 1990s." 

In any event, as it was ending after nearly 11,500 shows, I decided to buy a ticket for an evening performance last week... and found myself in a short line like I had passed so many times in the past 29 years.

I admit to being curious about what the interior looked like... (there's a strict no-photo policy in the auditorium) ... 

Here's an official description of the plot via a press release about the closing: 

It is a journey through sound, a celebration of the every day and a comic interplay of characters wordlessly communicating through dance and drum. Synchronized stiff-bristle brooms become a sweeping orchestra, eight Zippo lighters flip open and closed to create a fiery fugue; wooden poles thump and clack in a rhythmic explosion. "Stomp" uses everything but conventional percussion instruments — dustbins, shopping carts, radiator hoses, boots, hub caps — to fill the stage with a compelling and unique act that is often imitated but never duplicated. 

On the night of the show, I found myself sitting next to, and in front of, several parents and their children — roughly 7 to 12 in age. The kids patiently waited for the show to begin (the 8 p.m. start was actually 8:15 p.m.) by playing games or watching videos on various handheld devices. 

The show started, and the attendees — a sold-out theater of 300-plus — seemed to appreciate the talented performers and theatrics, laughing and clapping along during the audience-participation moments. The kids around me especially enjoyed the more sophomoric elements of the show (the radiator hose/penis gag). Set pieces came and went, and we all saw countless inventive ways to make rhythms from everyday household items. 

I was pleased we had breezed through the show, as the early 20th-century seats without much legroom were taking their toll on my legs and lower back. At one point, I figured I had about 15 minutes left of the 105-minute show (with no intermission). I glanced at my phone; I had been there for 35 minutes — 70 to go! 

With the continued banging of trash can lids and swishing of brooms, I wondered who the characters were supposed to be: Co-workers not really working? (A thunderous display of quiet quitting?) Roommates in an industrial space? (I would hate to live below them with all this racket!)

In the end, I'm glad I saw it. I appreciated the creativity or, as Village Preservation put it, "the joyful John Cage-ian insight that any object can be an instrument and any noise can be a song." 

And there weren't any "why didn't I see this 26-27-28-29 years ago!" pangs of regret.

The show has won several awards, including the Olivier for best choreography, an OBIE and a Drama Desk award. Its North American and European tours will continue. (It has played in 45 countries.) So this isn't the end of "Stomp."

As for the future of the theater, I hope it remains an off-Broadway destination. In the 1980s, the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as "Little Shop of Horrors" in 1982, Sandra Bernhard's "Without You I'm Nothing" in 1988, Eric Bogosian's "Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll" in 1990, John Leguizamo's "Mambo Mouth" in 1991, and David Mamet's "Oleanna" in 1992.

No word on what might be next for the Orpheum, reportedly owned by Liberty Theatres, a subsidiary of Reading International, which also owns Minetta Lane Theatre. Some people have worried that this prime space will become the Orpheum Condoplex or something. That would be a familiar East Village story for the 2020s.

1 month left of 'Stomp'

As reported this week, Stomp is ending its run at the Orpheum Theatre at 126 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place on Jan. 8 — after 29 years and 11,400-plus performances.

The closing is "due to declining ticket sales," a spokesperson for the production told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Ticket sales weren't an issue for today's noon matinee ... as there were long lines for entry. (Thanks to Steven for the photo!)

Bang a gone: Stomp's long run on 2nd Avenue concludes in January

The producers of Stomp yesterday announced that the energetic percussion-based show will conclude its 29-year run in the East Village on Jan. 8, 2023. 

The closing is "due to declining ticket sales," a spokesperson for the production told The Hollywood Reporter. 

Stomp debuted on Feb. 27, 1994, and has performed nearly 11,500 shows at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

Show creators Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell told this to The Hollywood Reporter: 

"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 percent 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." 

Per press reports, the show has won the Olivier for best choreography, an OBIE award, a Drama Desk award for unique theater experience and a Legend of Off-Broadway award. 

You can still see Stomp elsewhere as its North American and European tours will continue. 

No word on what production might be next for the Orpheum, which is reportedly owned by Liberty Theatres, a subsidiary of Reading International, who also own Minetta Lane Theatre.

According to Cinema Treasures: "The site on which the Orpheum stands is alleged to have been a concert garden as early as the 1880s and, as such, to be one of the oldest continuously operating places of gathering for entertainment events in New York City." 

In the 1980s, the Orpheum was well-known for Off-Broadway productions such as Little Shop of Horrors in 1982, Sandra Bernhard's Without You I'm Nothing in 1988, Eric Bogosian's Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll in 1990, John Leguizamo's Mambo Mouth in 1991, and David Mamet's Oleanna in 1992.

Above photo by Lucien Samaha via Cinema Treasures

Do you have what it takes to Stomp?

Open auditions are taking place this morning for Stomp at the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between St. Mark's Place and Seventh Street. (Top photo by Steven) 

Per the casting call:

Who you might be:

• A drummer who moves well 

• A dancer who can drum 

• An athletic individual with a great sense of rhythm 

• Acting ability is strongly preferred

As these photos by Derek Berg show, the line for tryouts goes around the corner on Seventh Street... 

Stomp returns to the Orpheum Theatre on July 20. Tickets go on sale this coming Monday.

As Deadline noted, "Stomp will be among the city's first Off-Broadway productions to resume performances post-pandemic shutdown." Proof of vaccination will be required for entry, per reports.

The show is now in its 26th year in the East Village.

The return of Stomp

ICYMI: Stomp returns to the Orpheum Theatre on July 20. Tickets go on sale starting June 21.

As Deadline noted, "Stomp will be among the city's first Off-Broadway productions to resume performances post-pandemic shutdown." Proof of vaccination will be required for entry, per reports.

The show, featuring an array of "body percussionists," is now in its 26th year here on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.

Photo from March by Steven

City to remove makeshift sidewalk structure made in part with Christmas trees on 2nd Avenue

This makeshift shelter outside the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place has been served a "notice of removal."

Said EVG reader 2ndAvenueSilverPanther, who shared this photo: "Created with cardboard, wood and discarded Christmas trees, it's an obvious hazard on a block that has seen more than it's share of misery."

Since the photo was taken, someone removed the trees, though the shelter remains in place.

A man who had been staying here was found deceased in early November. A friend said that the man had been sick, though he had refused to seek medical treatment. 

Updated: 

This photo by Eden shows that the deadline for removal is Thursday...

Report of a death outside the Orpheum Theatre

We received multiple reader reports this morning that a man was found dead outside the Orpheum Theatre on Second Avenue between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

There was a large police presence here this morning around 8 (photo below by Derek Berg) ...

Sources later confirmed that one of the men who had been sleeping on the sidewalk had died. A friend said that the man had been sick, though he had refused to seek medical treatment. 

People have been sleeping here in recent weeks... the group had previously been camped out on the northwest corner of Second Avenue at Seventh Street.

Thank you to Steven ... and 2ndAvenueSilverPanther for the top photo