New Idea, New Zealand
The stage is set for a glittering extravaganza on ice and director of Swan Lake On Ice, Tony Mercer, can't keep the huge grin off his face. For the veteran producer, staging Swan Lake On Ice is the stuff of dreams with enough romance to rival the classic fairytale itself. Having launched his own theatre-on-ice company in 2003, Tony is riding the crest of a wave, working with 25 of Russia's top competitive skaters, the Imperial Ice Stars.
And with his wife Maria, a Russian skater and now choreographer, who he met at an audition in 1995, and four-year-old son Sean Gabriel, it's very much a family affair for the Moscow-based trio.
The Manchester-born 46 year old already has one success under his belt with Sleeping Beauty On Ice. An instant hit, it was intended to run for four months but ran for two years. More than 500,000 people saw it and the highlight for Tony was being invited to perform at London's Sadler's Wells last year.
And with a cast and crew of 49, a team of skaters who have won more than 200 medals between them for competitive skating, a sparkling array of costumes and sets, not to mention spectacular choreography, Tony looks set to have another hit on his hands.
But producing such a large-scale show can sometimes be like skating on thin ice itself. Building up the production has already cost $3.7 million and costs another $150,000 a week to keep it on the road. Just preparing the ice rink is a huge task, requiring 14,000 litres of water to produce 14 tonnes of ice.
'It gets a bit frightening at times,' Tony admits. 'But you have to invest in your production. 'Lots of people came to see Sleeping Beauty and we could have rested on our laurels with Swan Lake but I didn't want to. 'I wanted to create something beautiful that people will remember.'
The skaters themselves, who collectively have 110 costumes to wear on stage, are kept on their toes - in both senses of the word - with Tony and his team choreographing some breathtaking moves. The triple flips, death spirals and highspeed lifts make you fear for the skaters' safety - and with good reason. The skaters have suffered a series of injuries-from broken ribs to more than 100 cuts and a ripped groin muscle. Not surprisingly, the company travels with its own doctor.
There are four children who travel with the show, ranging in age from one-and-a-half to six. But as children don't start school until seven in Moscow these Russian kids get to join their parents as they travel the world. And if they're anything like little Sean Gabriel, they're having the time of their life.
Sean, like his mum Maria, started skating at four and is already a natural on the ice. But dad Tony admits he's not much of a skater and is content to watch the professionals. Tony, who's a friend of Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, has big plans for future shows, possibly with the world-famous skating duo. Romeo and Juliet on Ice is a strong possibility, as well as the musical Cats.
Swan Lake On Ice runs from July 13 to 23 in Wellington and from July 26 to August 6 in Auckland.
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