For flash this is a real Beauty Birmingham Post Of course, it may have been psychological - I am at a funnay age - but I could have sworn the first few rows of the stalls at the Birmingham Hippodrome last night were consdieraly cooler than the rest of the auditorium. They were certainly considerably foggier for the first few minutes of The Sleeping Beauty on Ice, an absolutely brilliant ice dance version of the famous fairytale. Deep in the Dark Forest, lair of the evil fairy Carabosse, the dry ice was swirling deep enough to hide the prone baddie. Then, in the Hippo's own version of climate change, it came billowing out in a chilly stream. A fantastic opening, and things just got better and better from there. There are brilliant costumes, superb effects and, of course, Tchaikovsky's famous music. But above all there is the fantastic skill of a superb team of skaters and the breathaking choreography of Tatiana Tarasova, one of the world's top coaches with many Olympic gold medallists under her wing. What is difficult to appreciate until you see, is the sheer speed and power involved in some of the routines. Maria Borovikova all but steals the show as the baddie, and she spends almost as much time suspended in the air as on ice. Mandy Woetzel is the heroine, but, while her skating was impeccable, last night her characterisation lacked some projection. Not a problem with the Prince, Vadim Yarkov, a great character and wonderful skater. The Lilac Fairy, Olga Sharountenko, also came across forcefully, but the audience took to their hearts Anton Klykov, the Royal Court's goofer. A fantastic character part which demanded superlative skill. Some of his leaps and turns deservedly drew spontaneous applause. It may be on ice, but it's the hottest ticket in town. Until Saturday. |
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