Artemis
05-03-2004, 12:54 PM
Another great "worth the ticket price" show. There were some weak places, but overall well done. Congrats to the cast, Christopher Dean, and all the backstage support.
As is usually the case with Vancouver show, being the last one, there was a bit at the end for thanking the fans, the crew, etc., and then of course a little tribute to Isabelle and Lloyd. Kurt spoke on behalf of the cast to thank them for their long contribution to the show. Then Lloyd took the mike to say a little about being part of the legacy of pairs skating in Canada. Then he thanked his wife (in particular for not going into labour early so he could finish the tour!), the fans, and of course his best friend and partner Freddy. He got quite teary, which set me off. :cry: Isabelle was very up-beat by comparison.
As for the show itself, the highlights for me were:
~ Shae's "Caruso." Wow! After seeing that, I really hope she doesn't pair up with anyone else. She is fabulous and unique all on her own. An amazing performance.
~ both of Isabelle & Lloyd's numbers, but in particular "Remember Me This Way." I love their classic rock/wild style, but it was fitting that their last piece would be sentimental. Thank goodness I brought tissues.
~ Elena & Anton's "Kalinka." This piece has been done a zillion times, but never as well as this. Perfect. Elena looks great in pig-tails too.
~ Jamie & David's Ballroom piece. I'd heard a lot about this and it didn't dissapoint. What a hoot! They're so talented and versatile, I don't think there's any music they couldn't interpret.
~ Kurt's "Time in a Bottle." Despite his problems with the jumps, a great vehicle for him. Nice that after he fell for the 2nd time, he did some classic Kurt footwork that the audience cheered extra hard for ... and he acknowledged. Also nice that this solo fit the theme of the show.
~ the 1st act ensemble closing number. Lots of fun, well choreographed. My only complaint was that there were too many places to look at once.
I also really enjoyed Jennifer's solo number (one of the best show pieces she's ever done) and Kyoko & John's "Little Sister" (John looks great with his not-quite-so-long hair -- a Queer Eye suggestion perhaps?).
Less than terrific numbers, IMO:
~ "Hands of Time." I didn't mind most of the prop numbers because they were either short and sweet (e.g., "Timing is Everything") or else the props were well integrated into the choreography (e.g., "Workin' Time"). But Hands of Time is just plain stupid, contrived, and boring.
~ both of Alexei's numbers. I've loved Alexei in the past as both a competitor and his show numbers, but this year he hasn't come up with anything new or noteworthy. "Memorial," in particular, is such a retread. The injury is no doubt at least in part to blame, but I would have liked to see something worth his paycheque.
~ Todd's "Flamenco." Ok, actually I do like this number quite a lot for the most part. It's just that I can't help comparing it to Nyah. Totally unfair comparison, I know, and Todd has his own not-inconsiderable unique strengths and talents. But every time I hear that looong guitar arpeggio and see him waste it with nothing but stroking and setting up for his 3-axel, I can't help thinking how much better Kurt would use that music.
~ Kurt's "Ding Dong Daddy." I liked this number the first couple of times I saw it, but it doesn't stand up well to repeated viewings. All that sliding on the ice in particular gets pretty repetative. If he was going to repeat a number from his show/competitions, I'd've rather seen Moondance.
~ Steven's solo number. Can't even remember the music. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either.
As is usually the case with Vancouver show, being the last one, there was a bit at the end for thanking the fans, the crew, etc., and then of course a little tribute to Isabelle and Lloyd. Kurt spoke on behalf of the cast to thank them for their long contribution to the show. Then Lloyd took the mike to say a little about being part of the legacy of pairs skating in Canada. Then he thanked his wife (in particular for not going into labour early so he could finish the tour!), the fans, and of course his best friend and partner Freddy. He got quite teary, which set me off. :cry: Isabelle was very up-beat by comparison.
As for the show itself, the highlights for me were:
~ Shae's "Caruso." Wow! After seeing that, I really hope she doesn't pair up with anyone else. She is fabulous and unique all on her own. An amazing performance.
~ both of Isabelle & Lloyd's numbers, but in particular "Remember Me This Way." I love their classic rock/wild style, but it was fitting that their last piece would be sentimental. Thank goodness I brought tissues.
~ Elena & Anton's "Kalinka." This piece has been done a zillion times, but never as well as this. Perfect. Elena looks great in pig-tails too.
~ Jamie & David's Ballroom piece. I'd heard a lot about this and it didn't dissapoint. What a hoot! They're so talented and versatile, I don't think there's any music they couldn't interpret.
~ Kurt's "Time in a Bottle." Despite his problems with the jumps, a great vehicle for him. Nice that after he fell for the 2nd time, he did some classic Kurt footwork that the audience cheered extra hard for ... and he acknowledged. Also nice that this solo fit the theme of the show.
~ the 1st act ensemble closing number. Lots of fun, well choreographed. My only complaint was that there were too many places to look at once.
I also really enjoyed Jennifer's solo number (one of the best show pieces she's ever done) and Kyoko & John's "Little Sister" (John looks great with his not-quite-so-long hair -- a Queer Eye suggestion perhaps?).
Less than terrific numbers, IMO:
~ "Hands of Time." I didn't mind most of the prop numbers because they were either short and sweet (e.g., "Timing is Everything") or else the props were well integrated into the choreography (e.g., "Workin' Time"). But Hands of Time is just plain stupid, contrived, and boring.
~ both of Alexei's numbers. I've loved Alexei in the past as both a competitor and his show numbers, but this year he hasn't come up with anything new or noteworthy. "Memorial," in particular, is such a retread. The injury is no doubt at least in part to blame, but I would have liked to see something worth his paycheque.
~ Todd's "Flamenco." Ok, actually I do like this number quite a lot for the most part. It's just that I can't help comparing it to Nyah. Totally unfair comparison, I know, and Todd has his own not-inconsiderable unique strengths and talents. But every time I hear that looong guitar arpeggio and see him waste it with nothing but stroking and setting up for his 3-axel, I can't help thinking how much better Kurt would use that music.
~ Kurt's "Ding Dong Daddy." I liked this number the first couple of times I saw it, but it doesn't stand up well to repeated viewings. All that sliding on the ice in particular gets pretty repetative. If he was going to repeat a number from his show/competitions, I'd've rather seen Moondance.
~ Steven's solo number. Can't even remember the music. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing special either.