Production let down by technical aspects. (Review by Keith
Millar)
Durban has a brand spanking new Ice Arena. After a 20 month
up-grade the new multi-purpose arena, which is four times the size of the old
ice rink, opened in September.
This was the venue, last weekend, for the ice show, Shine on Ice Dance Theatre, which was
visiting our shores direct from Moscow, Russia.
There was much excitement about the return of an Ice Show to
Durban by people who fondly remember the many ice spectaculars produced by
Marjorie Chase in years gone by.
These fabulous shows were a staple part of the city’s
Christmas festivities. Usually presented in the form of a pantomime they
featured the best of international and local skating talent. They also starred
the inimitable Grahame Rich as the dame, or an ugly sister. A superb physical
comedian, Rich would always have his chest considerably enhanced by a pair of
balloons which would inevitably pop, to great hilarity, when he fell to the
floor. The shows were fantastic family entertainment and eagerly anticipated
all.
In light of this, it is a great pity that Shine on Ice turned out to be a bit of a
disappointment. It was billed to be a combination of master figure-skating as
well as the skills of acrobats, jugglers, clowns and ice ballet dancers. Well,
it did have all of this, but the skill levels were questionable.
The first time we were treated to a gentle pas da deux it was very exciting despite
not being as dramatic as one is used to see on TV. In fact, it initiated several
spontaneous outbreaks of applause from the audience.However when what seemed to
be the same routine was repeated again and again it all started to get a little
boring.
The clowns were quite funny, particularly the musical one
who played Ave Maria on a saw with a
violin bow and Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance
on wine bottles. The jugglers, acrobats and arial acts were all entertaining
without being mind-blowing.
However, it was the technical aspects of the production
which really let it down. The lighting was restricted to a few footlights and
two follow spots - one of which was not even used in the second half of the
show. The operator was there, staring intently at his cellphone, but he either
forgot to do his job or his light was kaput. This was in fact a blessing as the
two spotlights was positioned far too low and blinded the audience as often as
they lit the performers.
As one can imagine, the artists were not well lit and the
audience had to squint through the gloom to see what was going on.
The sound system installed in the arena seems quite good.
However, they have not overcome the dreadful acoustic and the result was an
indistinct and booming sound.
One could possibly blame teething problems for these
difficulties. However, I cannot believe that in Durban there is not the
expertise to assist with finding solutions. One can only hope that if future
ice shows are presented in Durban, these experts will be consulted. Anything
else is disrespectful to the paying audience.
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