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An unconventional wall of sound in ‘Pandemonium’

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“Pandemonium,” the latest noise-athon spectacle from the creators of “Stomp,” is playing at UCLA’s Royce Hall through Thursday. The stage production, which features 26 musical performers and a choir, is a family-friendly concert in which ordinary objects are transformed into musical instruments through improvisation and old-fashioned elbow grease.

“Stomp” has been a hit in the U.S. since it opened in the early ’90s; “Pandemonium” has not been so fortunate. The show was supposed to go on a U.S. tour this year, but the trip was canceled midway when ticket sales failed to materialize. Instead, the production is playing in select U.S. cities while continuing to tour overseas.

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Creators Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas recently took time out to explain how the stars of the show — the musical instruments — were constructed.

Cello cases

The show’s creators have fashioned an improvised percussion section by having musicians thump on cello and bass cases.

It’s part of their strategy of turning music into a theatrical experience in which the act of performing is as important as the sounds being produced. Much of the show is rhythmic and percussive in nature, but there are also melodic sections.

Squonkaphone

This one-note instrument, which resembles an alto saxophone, is actually a piece of drain pipe cut to a specific length, with a rubber balloon stretched over the top opening. There are 22 players and each has a different-sized instrument to produce different notes.

Garbage cans

The creators made these instruments out of plastic bins from rubbish chutes that are used in construction sites. Each bin was outfitted with sailcloth stretched over the top to make a drum. The orchestra also features percussion instruments made of discarded soup kettles.

Bowing saws

Most of the saws in the show were purchased at hardware stores in Britain, but some of them come from companies in the U.S. and Sweden that specialize in musical saws. The instruments are the equivalent of an orchestra’s string section.

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Cooler bottles

These large water bottles are used as equivalents of marimbas and other percussion instruments. The creators say that water companies are not keen on giving them away and that they had to beg for them.

Bottle bellows

The creators have paired bottles with bellows so than one person can man multiple bottles to create a series of woodwind-like sounds. The glass bottles are situated on a rack with the musician standing behind them. To achieve different notes, they used different-sized bottles, ranging from beer and soda bottles to soy sauce bottles for higher pitches.

Pipe organ

The instrument, which creates a sound like a foghorn, was assembled using old industrial sewage pipes and gas pipes. One person pumps air through the tubes while another person works the valves. The creators say it’s the most complicated instrument in the show.

—David Ng

‘Pandemonium,’ 8 p.m., Wednesday; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, Royce Hall, UCLA, 340 Royce Drive, Los Angeles, $20 to $60.

Above: The show is comprised of 10 performers, 16 musicians and a choir. Credit: Steve McNicholas

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