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Feature
ICE-CAPADESUntil recently, I had never quite fully understood the appeal of ice skating, Dorothy Hamill, Nancy Kerrigan, et al. That is, until I saw ICE – The Show from Russia at the Riviera Hotel. It debuted in Las Vegas on April 5, 2007, with much fanfare and a load of expectations, replacing the 20-year old favorite, Splash. From the onset it had the talents of Sergey Ryshkoff and Debra Brown, providing the backbone, core and concept of the show and adding much of each of their experience and background to the show’s production values.
From the onset, the show wows – nothing like starting it with a bang. Upon entering the showroom, the audience is greeted not only by the ice stage, but an ice rink that goes around the first few rows of the theater. There is an “intro” segment where a girl on stilts and skates floats dreamily through the stage, through a gauzy film. The effect is at once surreal, dreamy and lyrical, providing the audience a glimpse of what’s to come. Then the show begins, and seemingly from everywhere, skaters come in – in full regalia and force. They were whizzing by too fast for me to give an exact count, but I would approximate that there were about 30 skaters in all who were present on that 50 x 50 stage. Aside from the wow factor of the sheer number of the cast, there is also the use of music in the show. While they may not have an original music score to tie to their production, the show does make use of music that’s a little more “in the now” and popular, selecting artists like Massive Attack and Craig Armstrong; and even lesser-known musicians like Ashley MacIsaac and Alice Russell. The effect is lounge-y, hip, modern – almost as if you were at a nightclub. There is also a (live) trumpet player, Gennady Zarkhov, one of Russia’s greatest trumpet players, who, even though he flits on stage intermittently, is a great addition to the show. At
the heart of it all though are the performers – all 38 of
them, who, not only have they been training since they were beginning
to walk, but also have the added pressure of taking the production
to a Each
act is beautifully and expertly executed, and while some are there
for comic relief, others, especially those featuring “duets
on ice,” are amazing, both for its lyrical beauty, as well
as for its mastery of technique. Towards the end, there are a couple
of acts that are nerve-wracking ones like “Rolla Bolla,”
which you just have to see to believe. Calling this ‘a balancing
act’ is not giving it To quote an old polish proverb, “If you’re going to walk on thin ice, you might as well dance,” and that’s exactly what they do at Ice, and all to thunderous applause. -Rachel M. Sugay ICE
– THE SHOW FROM RUSSIA, Versailles Theatre, Riviera
Hotel. 2901 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Show times are 8 p.m., Saturday
– Thursday. Tickets are $89.95 and $99.95, inclusive. VIP
seating plus Line Pass available; plus show and dinner |
Someone
once said, “The hardest part of skating is the ice,”
and that is perhaps the most apt statement of all regarding this
show. If you belong to the camp of “been there, done that”
with Vegas shows, then you will be proven wrong. Yes, it’s
got the “Cirque moves,” courtesy of choreographer Debra
Brown, whose resume includes Cirque shows Quidam®, Alegria®
and Saltimbanco®. And yes, it’s got the “circus
element” in there too, the legacy of producer Sergey Ryshkoff,
himself a professional circus artist for over 20 years before forming
the Moscow Ice Circus. But here is where the comparison ends, proving
that a show doesn’t need an over-inflated budget, nor celebrity
backing to be good. No, make that great.