Aussie Willy
07-28-2004, 08:20 PM
For anyone who is interested, just thought I would post a review of The Sleeping Beauty on Ice which is currently on in Melbourne, Australia and doing an Australian tour.
I went to the opening night last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The show is being staged at a theatre, so the size of the ice is very limited. But it is quite amazing what they can do on that small sheet of ice. There were quite a few triple toes and double axels and lots of pair moves. It had some really great choroegraphic moves as well as well as a bit of harness work.
The great thing about the show is that it can appeal to skaters but also to the general public as it has more of a focus on the actual ballet then trying to be a Disney on Ice type show. My friend who is not into skating at all loved it. It is an overall package - the costuming was great and the sets amazing.
Mandy Wotzel played the Princess Aurora and did a great job. She showed off some of the skills that lead her to being a world champion with a split double twist lift and throw axel. I got to speak to her after the show and she said that she is really loves doing the show.
As for the rest of the cast, basically a group of skaters that I have never heard of, but they were extremely talented. Anton Klykov played Catalabutte and was definately the highlight of the show. He was doing triple toes and double axels all over the place, but even threw a triple axel in (wasn't quite successful but wasn't far off).
Maria Borovikova who played Carabosse. She got the biggest applause of the night and had the most interesting character. Lots of snarls and growls at the audience but some really great flexibility pairs moves with her band of henchmen.
The other mention I want to make is Olga Sharutenko. I saw her in Nutcracker on Ice last year and this year she plays the Lilac Fairy. She is such a fantastic talent. A very graceful skater and really captures your attention. Totally suited to this pivotal role in the show.
I cannot finish this review without picking the unintentional gasp moment of the night when the queen tripped over the tulle of her dress. Such is the joys of live theatre.
If this show comes your way in future, I definately recommend seeing it. Coming from a place that generally knows nothing about skating, I can say the audience were very appreciative and gave great applause and support the skaters at the end.
I went to the opening night last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The show is being staged at a theatre, so the size of the ice is very limited. But it is quite amazing what they can do on that small sheet of ice. There were quite a few triple toes and double axels and lots of pair moves. It had some really great choroegraphic moves as well as well as a bit of harness work.
The great thing about the show is that it can appeal to skaters but also to the general public as it has more of a focus on the actual ballet then trying to be a Disney on Ice type show. My friend who is not into skating at all loved it. It is an overall package - the costuming was great and the sets amazing.
Mandy Wotzel played the Princess Aurora and did a great job. She showed off some of the skills that lead her to being a world champion with a split double twist lift and throw axel. I got to speak to her after the show and she said that she is really loves doing the show.
As for the rest of the cast, basically a group of skaters that I have never heard of, but they were extremely talented. Anton Klykov played Catalabutte and was definately the highlight of the show. He was doing triple toes and double axels all over the place, but even threw a triple axel in (wasn't quite successful but wasn't far off).
Maria Borovikova who played Carabosse. She got the biggest applause of the night and had the most interesting character. Lots of snarls and growls at the audience but some really great flexibility pairs moves with her band of henchmen.
The other mention I want to make is Olga Sharutenko. I saw her in Nutcracker on Ice last year and this year she plays the Lilac Fairy. She is such a fantastic talent. A very graceful skater and really captures your attention. Totally suited to this pivotal role in the show.
I cannot finish this review without picking the unintentional gasp moment of the night when the queen tripped over the tulle of her dress. Such is the joys of live theatre.
If this show comes your way in future, I definately recommend seeing it. Coming from a place that generally knows nothing about skating, I can say the audience were very appreciative and gave great applause and support the skaters at the end.