Standing ovations for Cinderella on Ice
21 Jan 2010
I had never seen an ice show before. There was that. And the lady I took with me looked breathtaking in her little black number. There was that too. So by the time I actually sat down in the Artscape's expansive Opera House, I was desperately trying to act cool and casual. Much to the chagrin of my partner, no doubt, I basically lost interest in the entire world around me within five minutes of the show starting. Cinderella on Ice is, without a doubt, unlike anything I have ever seen.
Athletic prowess
It is part ballet, part theatrical production, part circus performance, part Lord of the Dance, part period piece. In conception and execution it is flawless. Judging by how bowled over we were as an audience, and by how much applause there was for every twirl and jump, it was quite clear to me that South African audiences are simply not exposed enough to theatre at this level. The Russian troupe that performed are obviously very comfortable on the ice, and their athletic prowess is clear from the first soft grate of boot on ice. In a country built on snow and vodka, I can only imagine that they start ice skating pretty young!
Buy a programme
The story is perhaps not the typical Cinderella story, so do yourself a favour and get a programme so that you can read up on the story before the show starts. It is an ice ballet, so don't expect to be babied through the story. The costumes and the set are exceptional, and you can see that there was a great deal of time and effort put into creating all the pieces. The choreography differs vastly from a typical ballet, but was delivered with fluidity and perfect timing. I cannot begin to describe to you how incredible it is watching 12 dancers, all dressed like clocks, performing those smartly synchronised pieces. Without revealing too much, some of my favourite scenes were the ones in which individual dancers strutted their stuff and showed off a bit. I was also rather impressed by the lavish lighting and occasional on-stage pyrotechnics (I know, right, it's an ice show with fire!).
Two standing ovations
Cinderella on Ice is one of those shows where you know, within minutes, that it is going to get a standing ovation at the end. To its credit, it received not one, but two standing ovations from the excited and awed audience. Walking out, you could hear the people around you marvelling at this dancer's move or that scene's beauty. As an audience, young and old alike, we were completely blown away by the show. Of course, as elegantly dressed as we were, a fitting end to the evening was drinks at the One and Only's Vista Lounge, where I finally managed to make up for ignoring my lady friend for two hours. Whatever you do in Cape Town this January, do not miss out on this spectacular show.
Cinderella on Ice runs till 7 February at the Artscape. Tickets cost R100 - R375.
About Riccardo Spagni
After serving his time in Namibia, Riccardo got bored of Johannesburg and moved to Cape Town to become one with the mountain. He spends his days trawling biscuit factories hoping to discover the Next Big Cookie Flavour and writing reviews for the BizLounge that he traditionally delivers four or five days after deadline.
