Peggy Fleming's Theatre in the Round Show

Did anyone out there attend a performance of Peggy Fleming's "Theatre in the Round" show during the early 1970s? OK, I know I'm dating myself here, and probably many of you weren't even born then. I was young then, and living and working in the Washington, DC area. A group of us attended a performance at the Shady Grove Music Fair outside of Rockwille, Maryland.

The "rink" was a small square, in the middle of a theatre in the round. Peggy and her cast were outstanding, and despite the smallness of the ice area, they executed a number of jumps, spins, and lifts. Peggy was so beautiful (and still is). The theatre was packed, and the fans were very appreciative.

Sometimes the silliest things stick in your memory. Right after intermission, as Peggy was on her way down the stairs and back onto the ice, a guy holding a large tray of hot dogs and sodas suddenly cut right in front of her. Duh. Peggy nearly ran that guy over, food and all, but she adroitly sidestepped into the aisle to avoid a certain collision.

Sounds neat & funny! I was just a little girl during that time!

Way back when, some of the hotels in big cities had small ice shows as part of their cabaret presentation. (Thanks to the Hollywood Ice Review, the mechanism for making ice permitted this.) It was a great haven for really good skaters who did not win any gold medals and didn't want to make the arduous tours in Capades, Holiday, etc.

Joe

That's awesome!

Joesitz said:

Way back when, some of the hotels in big cities had small ice shows as part of their cabaret presentation. (Thanks to the Hollywood Ice Review, the mechanism for making ice permitted this.) It was a great haven for really good skaters who did not win any gold medals and didn't want to make the arduous tours in Capades, Holiday, etc.

Joe

Click to expand...

Absolutely. There weren't (and still aren't) that many opportunities for B-list skaters to headline skating shows. For every Olympic gold medal winner, there at least a dozen very talented, highly trained figure skaters who live without fanfare and who probably can hardly support themselves as figure skaters.

SkateFan4Life said:

Absolutely. There weren't (and still aren't) that many opportunities for B-list skaters to headline skating shows. For every Olympic gold medal winner, there at least a dozen very talented, highly trained figure skaters who live without fanfare and who probably can hardly support themselves as figure skaters.

Click to expand...

Absolutely, Skatefan - It makes me wonder about posters who say, "He/She should go Pro." Like COI/SOI are waiting for them with open arms. Even Disney travelling shows have openings only for chorus line skaters many of whom will not go beyond 2 years. It's a drag if one intends to make a living at a sport they love.

Not much in the field of coaching or teaching either except for skaters with big names, and not that many jobs are open.

I just hate it when a poster says a skater should go pro like they are going to make a living at it.

Joe

Joesitz said:

Absolutely, Skatefan - It makes me wonder about posters who say, "He/She should go Pro." Like COI/SOI are waiting for them with open arms. Even Disney travelling shows have openings only for chorus line skaters many of whom will not go beyond 2 years. It's a drag if one intends to make a living at a sport they love.

Not much in the field of coaching or teaching either except for skaters with big names, and not that many jobs are open.

I just hate it when a poster says a skater should go pro like they are going to make a living at it.

Joe

Click to expand...

Absolutely, Joe. For every millionaire skater with lucrative commercial contracts
public appearance fees, and show tours (such as Michelle Kwan) there are dozens of wonderfully trained figure skaters who probably can't make more than $25,000 a year - if that much - from skating.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the Ice Capades show, yet that show, as in all shows, had a definite "class system" when it came to its cast. If you won an Olympic or World title, you would have one or two solos, and you would receive top billing. Scott Hamilton, Elaine Zayak, Jayne Torvill/Christopher Dean come to mind as marquee skaters.

If, on the other hand, you did not have the above-mentioned piece of hardware, you were relegated to a position that was just slightly higher than the line skaters. Johnny Weir's coach, Priscilla Hill, was the 1981 US silver medalist, and she finished 7th at Worlds that year. She turned pro after a dismal outing at the 1982 US Nationals and joined Ice Capades. Her "number" was little more than a group number with several other skaters who were a step above the chorus line but nowhere near the status of the star skaters.

I'm very glad that Priscilla has become such a wonderful coach!! She truly has the gift for imparting her knowledge and love of the sport, and she's achieved greatness as a teacher.

That being said, there are probably untold numbers of trained figure skaters who gave up the sport because they either could not, or would not. surrender to a life of living out of a suitcase, or they could not find a suitable teaching or coaching position. Their loss is our loss as well.