- Joined
- Jan 6, 2004
I think I posted a while back about this show coming to my neck of the woods. Well it's tonight and I'll be leaving to go there shortly. I'll try to post a review tomorrow. Tonight's show stars Dorothy Hamil and Davis Gaines.
Broadway on Ice
- Thread starter childfreegirl
- Start date
childfreegirl said:I think I posted a while back about this show coming to my neck of the woods. Well it's tonight and I'll be leaving to go there shortly. I'll try to post a review tomorrow. Tonight's show stars Dorothy Hamil and Davis Gaines.
Great -- hope you enjoy. I'm looking forward to your review!
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2004
Okay, here's my review. The good, the ugly and the bad, in that order.
Overall, great show. Dorothy Hamil was great. Great spins and jumps. The ice surface was no more than 1/4 the size of a standard rink, yet there were skaters doing double jumps and even a double axel or two! There were a couple of pairs in the cast and one even did a throw! Beautiful lifts and spins. Great costumes. Overall great quality skating.
The ugly now. The audience. This show came to a little place in the sticks in the Florida Panhandle on the Gulf Coast. It was part of the Arts Series at the local civic center. So, most of the audience was made up of middle agers and retirees that are probably rolling in money and happened to be there b/c they have season passes to the Series. It was obvious to me that probably 99% of them were at the most, casual skating fans, if that. Therefore, the quality of the skating, espically given that the skaters were on such a tiny surface, was vastly underappreciated. IMO, they were there more for Davis Gaines than the skating. More about him later.
I was so pissed at this audience. Yes, I realize most of it (the lack of reaction) was due to ignorance, but that's no excuse, IMO. Most of the time, Mom (who went with me) and I had to start the applause after a jump or a lift or a spin! It's like "Don't you people realize what you're seeing?!?!" In fact, before the show even started, there was a middle age couple sitting behind us (we were in row J on the aisle) and the lady was complaining about how she thought this was going to be more of a musical than a skating show. Needless to say, with that comment and the lack of audience reaction during the first half, during intermission, I made some choice remarks to Mom a little louder than I normally would, about how this audience was totally unappreciative of the skill they were seeing and all the training these skaters had had and the strength and ability it took to do what they were doing on that tiny tiny ice surface.
There was a mini Zamboni that resurfaced the ice during intermission, btw.
Oh, and I kept shooting that lady looks over my shoulder the whole time. The line for the bathroom was miles long, or I would've made the same remarks in there too. After the show ended to a standing ovation (much to my huge relief) I turned around to that lady before she left and asked her if she was still dissappointed in the show. She said "What?" and I told her what I'd heard her say before it started. I asked her if she enjoyed it after all. She said something to the effect of "Oh, definately!". She actually sounded like she meant it Okay. Well she had a strange way of showing it during the show. No, not everyone has to scream and yell and clap until their arms are sore and their hands hurt like I did, but please!
The bad now. This show seemed to me like it was just pieced/thrown together. Yes, the skating was great. Yes, Davis Gaines has a great voice. Yes, the musical/comedian guy that was there was funny. But not all together. There was skating first, then Davis Gaines came out and sang, then skating. Then intermission. Then skating, then the comedian, then some singing, then some singing while Dorothy skated. Then some singing while Dorothy stood next to Davis. Then more skating. The finale was great and the only time Davis appeared on skates. He did do a hand holding two foot spin for about 2-3 revolutions with Dorothy, but that was all. Frankly, I expected a little more. It's Davis Gaines and Dorothy Hamil, for god's sake! Supposed to be polished, high quality, right? Seamless? Yeah, right!
The skating was broadway themed, fine. The singing was broadway themed, fine. The two however, did not fit together, IMO. The commedian didn't fit in anywhere. Give me them seperately, or at least the skating apart from the others. Yes, I'm picky, I know. I just think that I would've enjoyed them seperately more. I do have an appreciation for fine theater and of course I have an appreciation for great skating. Maybe it is better with different skaters and stars. I know it's different, so it must be. Davis just didn't fit in with the whole theme. The skating and skaters were young, he was older and thus had a different vibe.
If this show comes to your area, go see it. But don't pay more than $35 or so per ticket if it stars Davis Gaines. But he's not all bad. He is a fellow FSU alum.
Overall, great show. Dorothy Hamil was great. Great spins and jumps. The ice surface was no more than 1/4 the size of a standard rink, yet there were skaters doing double jumps and even a double axel or two! There were a couple of pairs in the cast and one even did a throw! Beautiful lifts and spins. Great costumes. Overall great quality skating.
The ugly now. The audience. This show came to a little place in the sticks in the Florida Panhandle on the Gulf Coast. It was part of the Arts Series at the local civic center. So, most of the audience was made up of middle agers and retirees that are probably rolling in money and happened to be there b/c they have season passes to the Series. It was obvious to me that probably 99% of them were at the most, casual skating fans, if that. Therefore, the quality of the skating, espically given that the skaters were on such a tiny surface, was vastly underappreciated. IMO, they were there more for Davis Gaines than the skating. More about him later.
I was so pissed at this audience. Yes, I realize most of it (the lack of reaction) was due to ignorance, but that's no excuse, IMO. Most of the time, Mom (who went with me) and I had to start the applause after a jump or a lift or a spin! It's like "Don't you people realize what you're seeing?!?!" In fact, before the show even started, there was a middle age couple sitting behind us (we were in row J on the aisle) and the lady was complaining about how she thought this was going to be more of a musical than a skating show. Needless to say, with that comment and the lack of audience reaction during the first half, during intermission, I made some choice remarks to Mom a little louder than I normally would, about how this audience was totally unappreciative of the skill they were seeing and all the training these skaters had had and the strength and ability it took to do what they were doing on that tiny tiny ice surface.
There was a mini Zamboni that resurfaced the ice during intermission, btw.
Oh, and I kept shooting that lady looks over my shoulder the whole time. The line for the bathroom was miles long, or I would've made the same remarks in there too. After the show ended to a standing ovation (much to my huge relief) I turned around to that lady before she left and asked her if she was still dissappointed in the show. She said "What?" and I told her what I'd heard her say before it started. I asked her if she enjoyed it after all. She said something to the effect of "Oh, definately!". She actually sounded like she meant it Okay. Well she had a strange way of showing it during the show. No, not everyone has to scream and yell and clap until their arms are sore and their hands hurt like I did, but please!
The bad now. This show seemed to me like it was just pieced/thrown together. Yes, the skating was great. Yes, Davis Gaines has a great voice. Yes, the musical/comedian guy that was there was funny. But not all together. There was skating first, then Davis Gaines came out and sang, then skating. Then intermission. Then skating, then the comedian, then some singing, then some singing while Dorothy skated. Then some singing while Dorothy stood next to Davis. Then more skating. The finale was great and the only time Davis appeared on skates. He did do a hand holding two foot spin for about 2-3 revolutions with Dorothy, but that was all. Frankly, I expected a little more. It's Davis Gaines and Dorothy Hamil, for god's sake! Supposed to be polished, high quality, right? Seamless? Yeah, right!
The skating was broadway themed, fine. The singing was broadway themed, fine. The two however, did not fit together, IMO. The commedian didn't fit in anywhere. Give me them seperately, or at least the skating apart from the others. Yes, I'm picky, I know. I just think that I would've enjoyed them seperately more. I do have an appreciation for fine theater and of course I have an appreciation for great skating. Maybe it is better with different skaters and stars. I know it's different, so it must be. Davis just didn't fit in with the whole theme. The skating and skaters were young, he was older and thus had a different vibe.
If this show comes to your area, go see it. But don't pay more than $35 or so per ticket if it stars Davis Gaines. But he's not all bad. He is a fellow FSU alum.
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