Two years ago I saw my first Imperial Ice Stars performance, Swan Lake, and left the theatre speechless after witnessing the most incredible work of choreography I had ever seen, performed on a stage of solid ice by talented athletes and performers, some of whom were skating on stilts!
Tonight I was lucky enough to go back to the Burswood Theatre and see their newest production, Cinderella. Lee and I booked tickets to the performance months ago, and I’ve been eagerly awaiting it ever since. We arrived at the theatre a little early and so decided to sit down and enjoy some tea and delicious cream puffs and chat for a while before the show started.
When it was time we found our seats and waited for the show to begin. It opened interestingly to scenes from Cinderella’s childhood and her mother’s passing. From here the screens rose to a town scene, where most of the performances took place. The adaption was very creative and unique, with art deco sets, victorian inspired costumes, a brief tribute to Swan Lake (which felt a little out of place but was enjoyable none the less) and a few changes to the plot. The ‘Prince’ was the son of the town Mayor and the ‘Fairy Godmother’ was a fortune teller from a band of colourful Gypsies. It seemed that Cinderella’s Father did not die at the beginning, but became an important character in the story. The whole performance kept you interested and guessing about what would otherwise be a very well known fairy tale.
The most talented performers in my opinion were Cinderella’s Father, who had a lot of character and very strong arms to carry the weight of both stepsisters! And outshining even Cinderella was the Stepmother, who had an amazing stage presence and dramatic presentation as well as an eye catching costume. All the performers were skilled though, and there were some interesting routines involving climbing strips of fabric, irish dancing on skates and some beautiful wirework that sent the dancers floating through the air.
The entire show was simply breathtaking. Lee and I were enthralled from start to finish (minus the interval where we had to make a mad dash to beat the restroom que!) and we left the theatre gushing over the incredible feats and beautiful music and costumes. If you have yet to see an Imperial Ice Stars production I highly reccomend it, its ballet and figure skating and acrobatics all set to haunting music and gorgeous set and costume design. I can’t wait to see them again!
Related posts:
Oh my, that does truly sound amazing.
I don’t think they’ll ever come where I am, but if I ever can I’ll definitely watch their performance….you make it sound so magical.
I hope that you are able to see them some day Rosebud, it is a truly magical experience!
That sounds absolutley wonderful!! They took a very interesting take on the story of Cinderella. I’d love to see this! Glad you enjoyed yourselves!
It was such a unique interpretation, not what we expected at all but far more enchanting because of it.
Thank you Avery!
Thank you for the kind words. Happy that you enjoyed.
Best Wishes
Tony Mercer
Hi Tony, thank you for creating such an amazing show! My friend and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I look forward to seeing your next production.
Kind regards,
Skye