Broadway on Ice?

[childfreegirl]

Has anybody seen this show? I happened to find out today that it'll be in my neck of the woods on Dec. 30th with Dorothy Hamil. I'm thinking about buying tickets for mom and myself for Christmas. Of course I'd have to have front row. Would the $45/each be worth it? Although it's right after Christmas and right before Nats, I figure if I buy the tickets now I can swing it.

Any opinions?

 

[mememe]

Has anybody seen this show? I happened to find out today that it'll be in my neck of the woods on Dec. 30th with Dorothy Hamil. I'm thinking about buying tickets for mom and myself for Christmas. Of course I'd have to have front row. Would the $45/each be worth it? Although it's right after Christmas and right before Nats, I figure if I buy the tickets now I can swing it.

Any opinions?

I saw last year's show -- it had rotating guest stars and I saw a version that had Brian Boitano and Deborah Gibson as the skating/singing stars. I really enjoyed it (and talking to some of the production people afterward, I heard that it was a great show with Dorothy Hamill and also with Oksana Baiul/Rudy Galindo as the skating stars). It's definitely a different type of skating than full arena shows -- the ice is TINY (like about 60x45 or something like that), but the skaters do an amazing amount of real skating on the small ice. It's on a theater stage, so every seat is really good (although the front row is BEST -- I sat there for one show, and even though I ended up looking "up" at the performers a bit, ti was a great place to sit, because you were really right on top of them -- lots of fun! -- but I sat back 3-4 rows for the evening show -- the first was a matinee -- and it was also really good). There was a fun mix of "theater" and skating -- Deborah Gibson did a three-song set all by herself (wearing high heels and walking up and down the ice at times -- she said she had "cleats" on her shoes so she could do that), and Boitano did a three solos and several ensemble bits (I was surprised that he could do so well on small ice, but he did -- still much more speed and power than anyone else, but controlled enough to get double axels, triple toes, triple sals in, and really great to see so close up) -- and the ensemble skaters were good, too (Silvia Fontana was one of the ensemble skaters in the shows I saw, but she was probably only only name I really recognized, but I enjoyed them all). If it's like last year, there will be a lot of ensemble work, several pull-out solos by Dorothy Hamill (usually at least one with the Broadway singing star -- last year, I think she was with David Gaines, and I heard he was extraordinary, too), and some musical/comedy (they had a really funny piano/humorist, Dale Gonyea, who reminded me a bit of Victor Borge).

Anyway, it wasn't like any of the big arena (or even smaller-ice, like SOI or the Disson events where the cut down the size of the ice by quite a bit) shows I'd seen, but I enjoyed it. If you're up for skating in a different type of venue and enjoy ensemble work by good skaters who you probably haven't heard much about before -- as well as a big name or two -- I can recommend it.

(edited to add -- have you found a schedule for it anywhere? If it's coming around my place, I'd be interested in going again, but I can't find anything on ticketmaster other than a few dates in Chicago)

 

[childfreegirl]

Thanks for the info mememe. To answer your question, I don't think I've seen a schedule. I found out about it in a local flier thingy with "community happenings". I went to Ticketmaster and looked up the name and the area.

To ask you a quick question, do you think that front row or third or fourth or further back would be better for taking pictures? Assuming they allow you to take pics, I didn't see anything on Ticketmaster about cameras not being allowed. I'll have a camera with a great zoom by then, so being close up for that purpose won't be a problem.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[mememe]

Thanks for the info mememe. To answer your question, I don't think I've seen a schedule. I found out about it in a local flier thingy with "community happenings". I went to Ticketmaster and looked up the name and the area.

To ask you a quick question, do you think that front row or third or fourth or further back would be better for taking pictures? Assuming they allow you to take pics, I didn't see anything on Ticketmaster about cameras not being allowed. I'll have a camera with a great zoom by then, so being close up for that purpose won't be a problem.

Thanks a bunch!

Thanks for the info. I'll just check around here and see if any theater is expecting to have it.

I did take a camera when I went -- the theater I saw it in allowed me to take a few photos, but one that a friend I know who went would not allow photos, so I don't know what you should expect. My photos from the front row were great, because it was so close -- but I did tend to lose the skaters' feet in most of the shots because we were a bit "below" the actual skating surface. The ones from row 3 or 4 were had the feet in them, but weren't quite as close up. So, guess you have to figure out what kind of camera you have (mine had a decent "zoom" lense, but not a really big one -- often, they won't let in "professional" cameras with removable lenses, but you can get smaller and/or digital cameras in -- I'd advise high-speed film, if you're using film, so you don't need to use a flash, which doesn't do any good if you're a ways back, and disturbs skaters and folks around you if you're up close) and what kind of photos are most important to you.

If you go, please let us know what you think of the show -- I'm always interested in how people react to shows!

 

[childfreegirl]

Great info. Thanks!