Cinderella on Ice
December 7th , 2009
Montecasino, Johannesburg
Date reviewed: 5th December 2009
If you have only one opportunity to see a show this holiday season put "Cinderella on Ice" at the very top of your list.
Words are inadequate to describe the visual and aural beauty of this sensational slice of entertainment. It is staged by the Imperial Ice Stars, an international team of champion skaters whose style and majestic manoeuvres simply take one's breath away. There is nothing quite like watching a beautiful woman and a handsome man, locked into an embrace and gliding across the ice in perfect harmony.
There is also no need for dialogue because this slightly re-shaped story of Cinderella comes out in the positive gestures and movement of the skaters and they are a thrilling sight to behold. The show is devoid of unnecessary gimmicks and, in one scene, where a silver coach magically appears on stage, it is so well done that you hardly realise what is happening until it manifests before your eyes. The scenery, the magnificent costumes and the sweeping thrust of the music, especially composed for the occasion by Tim A Duncan and Edward Barnwell, help create a canvas upon which the beloved story is told. Overall, the 23-strong skating team is dynamic.
Lithe, blonde Olga Sharutenko carves an ideal Cinderella, while the handsome Andrei Penkine is the Lord Mayor's son with whom she leaves a lasting impression. Their moments together create a sublime union and when she is whisked into the air you really believe she can fly.
Cinderella's awful stepmother (Olena Pyatash) and her two ugly, interfering sisters, performed by Maria Balaba and Anna Lopatochkina, try to their best to prevent Cinderella from achieving her goals at the ball, but we all know what happens.
This version of the fairytale does not have a Fairy Godmother, but rather an intrepid Gypsy Fortune Teller (Nataliia Karpych) who guides her in her quest.
Stanislav Voituk is cast as the Lord Mayor and he skates around with an appropriate air of authority, while the agile Vadim Yarkov shows off some amazing skills as Cinderella's watchmaker father. His timing, need I say, is exact.
Staging this story on ice certainly gives it a far more dramatic impact because of the speed of the skating and the breathtaking manoeuvres executed by these gifted performers.
The Imperial Ice Stars is the company everybody is watching closely in Russia because of the innovative approach of its creator, Tony Mercer, who has done some sterling work in ice theatre. This is a holiday must-see.
The Imperial Ice Stars Cinderella on Ice is on at the Teatro, Montecasino, Fourways.
Peter Feldman has been a journalist and arts critic for over 45 years and served on The Star in various capacities for 35 years, ending up as a specialist writer on films, music and theatre. During that time he travelled extensively on assignments and interviewed many international film and pop stars, both in South Africa and overseas. He also covered some of South Africa's biggest film and musical events. He is active in the freelance field and his work over the past 10 years has appeared in a variety of South African newspapers and magazines. He writes regularly for Artslink.co.za, The Citizen, South African Jewish Report, The Sunday Independent and is a contributor to "Eat Out" Magazine. He also contributes movie reviews to Chai fm Radio and has worked on TV in his specialist capacity. Over the years Feldman has been the recipient of several awards for his contribution to music journalism and the SA record industry. He wrote lyrics for some top artists, including Sipho Mabuse, and had a hit disco single, "Video Games," which was released in 1988. After retiring from The Star in April, 1999, Feldman joined the PR and events management company, Dlamini Weil Communications, where he currently works as an entertainment and media consultant.