The News, Portsmouth, UK
By Mike Allen
In a typical week the Kings Theatre might host a musical or a play, a ballet or opera. It might resound to the rock 'n' roll of an Elvis tribute act, to shrieks of delight at a male beefcake show or to laughter inspired by a popular comedian. But from May 6-10, the Southsea theatre will be home to something so different that it would not have entered architect Frank Matcham's wildest dreams when it was built in 1907.
Because it is going to host The Seeing Beauty on Ice. It will not be the first tune t o stage has been turned into an ice rink - the Russian Ice Stars performed The Phantom of the Opera there in 1996. But theatre publicity officer Sandra Smith says it will be different this time when the Imperial Ice Stars hit town.
`It will be even more fantastic because the company are making the stage so much bigger,' she says. `They are going to build the ice rink over the orchestra pit and the walkway, and even oversome of the front seats.'
Ice-dancing stage shows developed after television revealed to the wider public how much sheer artistry was to be found in an Olympic sport, with Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean leading the way in Britain. From the stage shows, in turn, came TV's Dancing on Ice series, prompting an explosion of interest in iceskating at rinks throughout the country.
And now, again, television is also feeding the appetite of those who wonder at the stunning feats of grace and athleticism and want to see them performed live on stage. But how is a theatre stage transformed into an ice rink?
The first step was for Kings technical manager Louise Birchall to find a forklift truck to raise the rink Oft from ground level to the theatre's loading bay. She approached Alto Handling of Farlington and has been promised loan, delivery and collection. `No charge because we support the Kings,' she was told.
Now Imperial Ice Stars artistic director Tony Mercer takes up the story. He says he is often asked whether the rink is made of real ice. `Well, be assured it is,' he exclaims. `And a strict timetable needs to be followed for it to be ready in time for rehearsal skating at 5pm on our Tuesday opening night.'
Work begins every Monday of the tour at 5am when two 45ft trucks arrive with not only the rink but costumes, sets, sound and lighting equipment. Work begins with the base and sides of the rink, which is made of marine reinforced plywood and waterproof timber for the edging.
Tony says: 'We now have what looks like a giant baking tray into which we will lay our pastry - only our pastry is a 52ft by 52ft heavyduty pool liner. `The most awkward section of the work begins as the 10 miles of pipes are laid inside the tray and connected to the header pipes before being spaced out across the base of the tray and secured. `The spacing is incredibly important and must be exact. `If not, sections of the rink will not freeze and we would have some very unhappy and angry Russian skaters!'
The header pipes are then connected to chiller units outside the theatre, and the system is filled with a mixture of glycol (antifreeze) and water, with the chillers turned down to minus 15C. Tony adds: `The outside of the pipes will frost over and at this point we pop down to the local fish market and buy four tons of crushed ice, which we spread over the pipes.
'This gives us a head start in the ice-making process.'
Overnight and throughout
Tuesday until about 3pm, the rink is sprayed every 15 minutes until it is approximately 3in thick, and final dressings are then given to the top of the ice surface so that it is perfectly smooth for rehearsal and performance.
While the spraying is taking place, technicians are also working on getting the sets, lighting and sound in place.
Wardrobe managers are taking care of more than 110 costumes to be used during performances of the show. 'Once the rink is completed, the surface temperature is constantly monitored day and night throughout our stay at the theatre,' Tony says. `In addition, during the interval and after every performance, the surface is scraped and resurfaced with hot water to keep it as smooth as possible.'
And so to the aftermath of the spectacular. At the end of the run, 14 tons of ice have to be taken away - and again Louise Birchall found a supportive local company, Waste Services, willing to supply skips and drivers. `No charge. We support the Kings,' she was told again.