UK Theatre Network

On their return to the Theatre Royal the Imperial Ice Stars show why the audience have been waiting so eagerly.

Before the show even begins, the impressive scale of this production is explained in the programme. The effort to transform the Theatre Royal stage into an ice rink for these talanted performers is no mean feat. With 36 hours of solid work, including spraying the ice every 15 mins overnight to ensure the correct thickness and smoothness, it was amazing to think they managed all that, plus constructed the set and rigged up and focused the lights and still opened on time. There was one slight technical issue with a projector or screen not being at the correct position, but that can easily be forgiven when you see the work that has already taken place behind the scenes. Besides, it’s the work onstage that draws your attention.

With many different verions of Cinderella to choose from, the Imperial Ice Stars have created a clever story that allows each performer to show off their own individual talents on the ice. From acrobatics to aerial work, from leaps to lifts, from spins to splits, this show really does manage to do everything on ice you could possibly think of (and they’ve thought of even more too!). As Cinderella, Olga Sharutenko (who some may remember as the dance partner of John Barrowman on Dancing On Ice) shows that skating is in her blood (her mother was also a figure skater). With poise and beauty as the leading lady, all the audience, young or old, were enthralled with both her on ice and “off ice” dancing.

With no dialogue, it always amazes me in these productions that the story can be told so emotionally, and also with great humour. The interpretations of different dance styles in the production was ingenious and extremely entertaining. Also, in the current economic climate, it was clever to re-use Swan Lake as a part of the story and include the beautiful costumes from that last production, alongside the stunning dresses created for this show. The Stepmother had fantastically over the top, but extremely tailored creations, which allowed Olena Pyatash to show some fantastic aerial positions in the stunning lifts with both Vadim Yarkov, as Cinderella’s Father, and Andrei Penkine, who instead of a traditional “Prince” was playing the Lord Mayor’s Son.

The production numbers involving the full cast are amzing to watch, as they all move with such precision over the small section of ice, pulling off daring moves like  double axels, triple flips and toe loops, and triple throw axels where the girls are thrown into a spin by their partners, and land, with only inches of ice to spare. With ice skating making a resurgance in the popularity stakes, due to the Dancing On Ice TV show, this show will tick all the boxes for fans of traditional ice shows, and also of the TV show. And seeing as the Dancing On Ice producers “couldn’t find a venue to accommodate their show in Scotland”, they’ve been majorly put to shame by The Imperial Ice Stars and their continuing tours.

Get your skates on, as it will be another 2 years before they are back in Glasgow again!

Listings Info:

Tue 9^th – Sat 13^th June

Tue – Sat eves 7.30pm

Wed, Thu and Sat Mats 2.30pm

Tickets: £13.50 - £30

Box Office: 0870 060 6647          www.ambassadortickets.com/glasgow