Tonight, South Africa
By Beverley Brommert
Rating: *****
Neither ballet, nor theatre, nor exhibition ice-skating, Tony Mercer's Swan Lake On Ice is a ravishing hybrid which offers audiences a-surprise-a-minute through an imaginative spectacle and the enviable proficiency of the show's executants.
Seldom does one find a production in which there is such sustained and unanimous artistic endeavour: from the palace servants to the Prince and his Swan Maiden, there is not a weak link in the large cast as skates replace ballet shoes on the glistening stage.
The spectacle is replete with memorable moments. Among them is the gawky elegance of the Black Swans on stilts, skating with serene equanimity; then there is the airborne grace of Odette as she literally flies away from her suitor in a flurry of white drapery, not to mention the splendidly evil Rothbart brooding in a circle of live flames on the ice. Tableaux of swan-maidens resemble exquisite and complicated statuary.
However, special effects - arresting though they may be - merely serve to enhance the artistry of the performers, which is ultimately the greatest strength of this show.
Opening night leads Vadim Yarkov and Olga Sharutenko (Siegfried and Odette) excel in a flawless partnership, while an undisputed show-stealer is Andrei Penkine as Benno, Siegfried's companion. His role in the plot is minimal, but whenever he comes on stage, his athleticism and ingratiating personality make him a welcome presence throughout.
Sergei Sakhnovski, as the Rasputin-like Rothbart, not only brings a sinister intensity to his role; he also exhibits a rarely-achieved degree of control over his blades, resulting in noiseless progress over the ice; one tends to forget that he is wearing skates.
Olena Pyatash fills the part of Odile with polish, unexpectedly appealing as the rival of Odette. Changes in the plot and characterisation of the Swan Lake with which ballet-lovers are familiar allow for this element of surprise. Initially disconcerting, it turns out to be a refreshing re-think of the time-hallowed masterpiece.
This is ice theatre at its best.