Imperial Ice Stars Bring Daring 'Cinderella on Ice' to Israel
The British troupe The Imperial Ice Stars, led by founder, director, and choreographer Tony Mercer, is presenting "Cinderella on Ice" in Israel. Mercer, who has combined figure skating with theater for over two decades, reimagines the classic Perrault fairy tale for the ice. In this production, the glass slipper becomes a skate, the prince is the mayor's son, and the fairy godmother is a fortune teller. The story is adapted to emphasize movement as the primary language, with Cinderella's father as a watchmaker and Cinderella herself as a ballet statistician.
Despite the liberties taken with the narrative, the show's main strength lies in its performers. Their professional skill is evident in their confident execution on a relatively small ice surface, navigating complex intersections, near-collisions, and intricate lifts, including triple toe loops and other jumps, with apparent ease. The prince, characterized by athletic energy rather than fairy-tale languor, performs a notable skating salto, which is integrated organically into his character. Cinderella's aerial lift is highlighted as a spectacular moment of transformation.
The stepmother and stepsisters provide comic relief through their vanity and rivalry, portrayed with buffoonery that borders on aggression. The ensemble's synchronized routines are executed with mechanical precision, with dozens of skaters moving seamlessly on the confined ice, demonstrating remarkable cohesion. The sense of risk, with daring jumps and lifts performed close to the ice's edge, contributes to the show's 'wow' factor, even as the article questions the necessity of some additional effects like projections and smoke, suggesting they sometimes detract from the skaters' inherent impressiveness.
The production thrives when focusing on the core elements of figure skating: speed, lifts, and glides, which inherently possess dramatic qualities like pursuit, risk, and trust. The article notes that the narrative elements, such as the watchmaker and fortune teller characters, are less successful than the comedic and romantic duets or ensemble scenes. The original music by Tim Duncan and Edward Barnwell is described as rhythmic and supportive of the skating but lacking distinct musical identity, with visual imagery remaining more memorable than the melodies.
"Cinderella on Ice" is positioned as a blend of sport, theater, ballet, and circus. While not all elements seamlessly integrate, the performers, the dynamic prince, the technically skilled Cinderella, the comedic stepfamily, and the precise ensemble, are the production's most compelling aspect. The review concludes that when extraneous effects are removed, the speed, trust in lifts, and grace of the skating itself convey the essence of why skates are essential to this "Cinderella."
