Empire Theatre, Eden Court, 10 April 2008

Beauty and the Beast on Ice (photo - Wild Rose)

NEVER having seen the Disney version let alone anything on ice before, I came to Beauty and the Beast on Ice at the Empire Theatre with no preconceptions – but as the pre-recorded introduction began, my heart sank. My 14-year-old co-reviewer whispered “It’s awful”, but this and the music which could not match the lush, passionate intensity of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev, were our only quibbles. As the show unfolded, all our qualms were swept away.

For a start, we loved the set. Leatherbound fairy tale books edged the stage, while skaters turning the pages of an enormous picture book moved the action from market square to forest to the Beast’s castle to Belle’s home in the country and back again.

The skating, by the Russian Ice Stars, was a joy to watch. To see this calibre of skating on the Empire stage, tiny by comparison with an Olympic ice rink, was mesmerising. At times, a couple of dozen skaters were criss-crossing at speed in intricate patterns where a minute misjudgement could have caused disaster…. but the Russians’ skill was awesome.

In case anyone should be bored, there was aerial work, some of it using sturdy webbing harnesses but in one case nothing more than lengths of white silk. A mysterious cloaked and hooded figure bounded across the ice on what I can only describe as goat-footed stilts, recalling Spring Heeled Jack, the Victorian urban myth, while other skaters whirled real, fiery torches.

The costumes added another layer of richness – my co-reviewer particularly loved the waltzing white roses and we both adored the finale wedding scene, a luscious peachy pink confection of a Nutcracker pastiche.

The choreography, by Italian dancer Giuseppe Arena, awarded the title Cavaliere ( the equivalent of a knighthood) by the Italian government in 2004, mixed crowd-pleasing references to popular culture – anything from breakdancing to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and The Addams Family films – with classical balletic subtleties.

The pas de deux in the second act depicting the developing relationship between Belle and the Beast was as finely drawn as anything by Fokine or Macmillan; it was also beautifully danced by Olga Pershankova and Andrey Chuvilyaev. Pershankova is not only a fine skater but also an expressive actress who shares with our own Darcey Bussell the ability to make an audience just fall in love with her.

During the curtain calls, men who, judging by their body language at the beginning of the evening, had been coerced into attending by their wives, girlfriends and daughters, were standing on their feet cheering rapturously. In fact I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a happier audience at Eden Court.

Wild Rose, the presenting company, have hit on a winning formula, fusing ice dancing, pantomime and circus into a breathtaking spectacle. I would hazard a guess that by promoting this show Colin Marr may have succeeded in enticing some pantomime goers, few of whom ever attend anything else at Eden Court, to spread their wings.

As we left, the ushers were handing out flyers for Scottish Ballet’s forthcoming Sleeping Beauty – if that cunning ploy works, Mr Marr will have achieved a quantum leap in audience development in the Highlands. Fingers crossed.

© Jennie Macfie, 2008

Links

• Eden Court Theatre
• Wild Rose