The Scotsman
by KELLY APTER
MESSING around with Swan Lake is not exactly a new pastime - people have been doing it for years - so in many ways, this ice-dancing version of the popular ballet is relatively traditional. Tchaikovsky's score is almost intact, the swans are female, white and fluffy and Rothbart is as evil as they come. Yet there are more twists in this production than in a triple axel.
Choreographer Tony Mercer plays fast and loose with the show's structure. Sections of music from Act 3 appear in Act 1, characters usually introduced later in the narrative appear early and, most important of all, Odette and Odile are not played by the same skater. None of which is to the show's detriment, though. Mercer's idea actually mirrors Tchaikovsky's original plan for two separate dancers to play the lead roles and, surprisingly, it really works.
Rather than the Prince being "tricked" into thinking that Odile is Odette, Mercer gives the story a more real edge. He's simply a man torn between two lovers, and a beautiful trio where the three characters reach an agreement is incredibly touching.
As for the staging, Mercer has opened up the selection box of audience favourites and emptied them all out on to the stage: delicate falling snow, a blazing ring of fire, luminous costumes and dazzling aerial work. If there's a theatrical device designed to make a crowd go "ooh", he's used it. Which is by no means a criticism - the visual effects of Swan Lake on Ice fit the show perfectly. The skating is superb, with more than a few heart-stopping leaps and, although the lack of a live orchestra takes its toll, given the cost of building an entire ice rink in each venue, it's an understandable omission.