For performer in ‘Stomp’ — in Wichita this week — show is a childhood wish come true

Jordan Brooks’ first exposure to “Stomp” was thanks to a substitute music teacher in his elementary school in Dallas who showed a PBS video of the percussion group.

By the next year, he watched a live performance and was hooked.

“It was a pretty magical moment,” Brooks recalled in a phone interview from a tour stop in Charleston, W. Va. “I thought, ‘Man, I wanna do that someday.’”

For five years, Brooks has indeed been a part of the cast of “Stomp,” which comes to Century II for two shows over Thanksgiving weekend as part of the Broadway in Wichita series.

Brooks attended the Berklee School of Music and learned a variety of drumming styles in various genres, then got his master’s degree in percussion from NYU, graduating in 2016.

After graduating, he hoped to become a drummer in a band on Broadway, going on tour with musicians, or get a reputation as a session player in recordings.

The third audition he ever had was for “Stomp.”

“I made the show and I’ve been hooked ever since,” the 30-year-old said.

“Stomp” was created by two Brighton, U.K., performers in 1991, and began its Broadway run in 1994, continuing in New York despite an intermission for COVID.

Brooks said “Stomp” allows for creativity and individualism among its performers.

“It’s a beautiful show because there’s so much room to improvise, to add your own artistic voice. It really lends well for growth in the show,” he said, adding that the choreography must be followed, but musicians can add their own touches.

The creators will catch up with the tours and Broadway run several times a year, making creative tweaks and adding or subtracting pieces in the show.

In the most recent, Brooks said, the cast uses suitcases, passing and throwing them to each other to create various sounds. There’s also “Poltergeist,” were members of the eight-person cast appear to mimic objects flying by midair while one performer tries to play them.

“Many people who might be die-hard ‘Stomp’ fans haven’t seen these numbers yet,” he said. “It feels very fresh.”

Brooks said his favorite act from “Stomp” is “Suspension,” where all the cast members are strapped into mountain climbing harnesses, swinging back and forth on the set.

“It’s huge and massive and it’s almost circus-like,” he said. “Rhythmically, it’s one of the most complex moments of the show, where we’re drumming at our highest level.”

He also has a soft spot for “Zippos,” where the percussion and lighting all come from cigarette lighters; and the brooms segment that starts the show.

The most difficult piece for him comes in the finale, where each cast members’ feet is attached onto 50-gallon oil barrels.

“There’s no magic behind that,” he said. “Those are straight off the oil yards and we just strap ski boots to them and they are darned heavy.”

All of the scenes maintain a level of artistic integrity, Brooks said.

“It’s very authentic,” he said. “We really try not to do anything over-the-top to be too corny or too cheesy.”

“Stomp”

When: 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 26-27

Where: Century II concert hall, 225 W. Douglas

Tickets: $41-$81, from wichitatix.com, the Century II box office or 303-8100