When Ivan Delaforce auditioned for "Stomp" 14 years ago, he had no idea what it was about — or how long the off-Broadway show would last.

"They interviewed me over the phone and asked me if I had seen the show. I said I did, but I didn't," said Delaforce, a 40-year-old drummer born and raised on O'ahu — one of three "Stomp" cast members with Hawaii ties who will perform in the percussive hit at Hawaii Theatre starting Dec. 22. "But I did later and I loved it."

And what he saw on stage changed the direction of his life.

"A lot of people have the same answer, that this show makes you feel like it was built for you," he said from his home in Las Vegas, where he closed 'Stomp Out Loud" in January. "But that's how I felt It wasn't just banging on stuff. It was really good music — but on garbage cans. It was so interesting. It wasn't just something to do in the meantime. I really, really wanted to do it."

"Stomp" returns to Honolulu for a two-week run that will feature two new routines and an arsenal of instruments you'd find in a well-stocked garage.

This show will be an updated version of the ones that played here in 1997 and 2004, with two different full-scale numbers and the introduction of some new props, including tractor tires, inner tubes and paint cans.

But the essence of the show — eight dancers and drummers using everyday household items such as brooms, newspapers and matchboxes to create an explosive, gritty percussive performance that has landed it on Entertainment Weekly's list of 50 greatest productions — is the same.

And that has been its staying power.

For the past 14 years, the show has toured more than 350 cities in 36 countries, with an ongoing sell-out off-Broadway show in New York's Orpheum Theatre and two overseas productions. Its rave reviews are met with notable awards and sell-out performances.

"I'm not surprised that it's lasted so long, but I'm excited and happy that it has," said Delaforce, who was part of the show's first tour. "There's no dialogue, so you don't have to recast or redirect the show to go overseas. And anyone, any age, can relate to it. It's just so raw and basic. Rhythm is something people can relate to. It's everywhere; it's in everyone. And you can't deny that people banging on stuff and jumping around on stage is fun."

Delaforce joins two other cast members with Hawaii roots — Andres "Pooh" Fernandez and Guillaume Carreira — for the two-week run at Hawaii Theatre.

Like Delaforce, Fernandez, a self-taught dancer, was a part of the "Stomp" show that performed here in 1997. (He was also in the 2004 cast.) He auditioned for "Stomp" 12 years ago in Los Angeles on a whim.

"It was a big cattle call, thousands of people," said Fernandez, 35, who grew up in Salt Lake. "No one knew what they were looking for. It was still a new thing."

His brother, Johnny, who was in "Miss Saigon," encouraged him to audition. And with no drumming or professional dancing experience, Fernandez tried out, nearly landing a back handspring during the audition. ("It made them laugh," he said.)

Two months later, he was training with the cast in New York City.

"It's been a great experience," said Fernandez, who lives with his extended family in Las Vegas. "I've gotten to travel the world. I love doing the show. It's so much fun."

Carreira, 27, a competitive b-boy who grew up in the Salt Lake area, joined "Stomp" in 2006 in the steroid Vegas version, "Stomp Out Loud," in which both Delaforce and Fernandez also performed. (The show closed in January.)

His girlfriend saw the posting for the audition online at around 2:30 a.m. The audition was at 11 a.m. There was no question: he was going to go.

"At the time I was auditioning for anything that came up," he said. "I was literally pounding the pavement. That's how you gotta be in times of need."

He didn't know what to expect at the audition, deciding to give off a good attitude and have fun. Four auditions later, he got the job.

"I literally cried," he said. "I was just really struggling, eating Top Ramen out here."

Though the months of intense training — what he called "Stomp boot camp" — nearly wore him down, Carreira stuck it out and found, like his Hawaii castmates, that the show has become something he truly loves.

"It's never the same show twice," Carreira said. "There's so much freedom within the show that you can express who you are within the guidelines of 'Stomp.' You can get across your personality, how you're feeling that day There's a one-upmanship to it, like you want to outdo the other guy on stage. That's what makes it so dope. That's what will keep 'Stomp' around forever. The show just keeps getting better."