The Canberra Review, Australia
by Bill Stephens
This “Swan Lake” is a truly magical theatrical presentation. Combining the ethereal beauty of classical ballet, and the speed and athleticism of world-champion ice skaters with Tchaikovsky’s glorious music, director and choreographer Tony Mercer has created a “Swan Lake” that is beautiful to watch and engages the intellect.
By respecting the source material and extending it to new heights he has created a theatrical experience which is imaginative, sensitive and quite thrilling. In fact with this “Swan Lake on Ice” he has raised the bar, and may well have changed the direction for ice shows of the future.
All the familiar characters are there. The handsome Prince Siegfried (Vadim Yarkov), his friend Benno (Andrei Penkine), the wicked Baron Rothbart (Anton Klykov), his ambitious daughter Odile (Olena Pyatash) and, of course, Odette, the beautiful swan princess (Olga Sharutenko). All are virtuoso skaters with impeccable technique, and all bring an unexpected level of dramatic involvement to their roles.
Indeed, the level of skating skill throughout the whole company is impressive, with extraordinarily difficult elements being put to the service of the choreography, while the combination of dazzling speed and relatively small ice area added more than a frisson of danger to the proceedings.
In this “Swan Lake”, the essence of the Petipa choreography is reflected throughout, most notably in the dance of the cygnets, and the national dances at the ball. But on this ice lake, the skating swans are able to glide gracefully through the fog, and in one breathtaking episode (during the famous pas de deux) Odette actually becomes air-borne and soars swanlike above Siegfried. The effect is enchanting.
Elsewhere, Anton Klykov’s villainous Rothbart, flanked by black-clad skaters on stilts, was engulfed in a circle of real flame rising from the ice, and the excitingly staged sword fight between Rothbart and Siegfried drew cheers from the audience.
The production values throughout are impressive. Eamon D’Arcy, who was the production designer for the opening ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, has devised a series of lavish settings, beautifully lit by Gavan Swift, for which costume designer Albina Gabueva, has used a subdued palette for her graceful, flowing Romanov period costumes. Her designs for the swans are particularly beautiful and evocative.
Odette’s rival for Siegfried’s affections, Odile, is a much more likeable character than usually portrayed, who upon realising that the prince is really in love with Odette, graciously steps aside and returns his engagement ring. This new relationship is expressed in a stunning pas de trios in the second act during which Odette and Odile are both carried around the ice by Prince Siegfried.
But one does not need to be familiar with the ballet to enjoy this production. “Swan Lake on Ice” is aimed at a mass audience, and it is hard to imagine a better introduction for either child or adult to Tchaikovsky’s glorious music or for that matter, to the art of ice skating. This is theatrical magic. Miss it at your peril.