Snow White on Ice – Mayflower Theatre, Southampton

Composer: Maestro Silvio Amato

Director/Choreographer: Cavalieri Giuseppe Arena

Reviewer: Emily Daughtery

The Public Reviews Rating:

Being a huge fan of Disney’s animated Snow White meant I sat down with excited anticipation to watch the Russian Ice Stars performance of Snow White on Ice at the Mayflower in Southampton, and I was not disappointed. From the start this well known storyline was wonderfully revealed in a new and breathtaking way.

All the best parts of the original fairytale were included in the performance, such as the enchanted mirror, poisoned red apple, seven comic woodcutters and the handsome Prince awakening Snow White from her spell bound sleep. The cast magically brought the story to life through ballet, gymnastics and audacious aerial acrobatics.

The Choreography by Cavalieri Giuseppe Arena was outstanding, beautifully co-ordinating the dancers with the musical score. Each lift and pirouette was executed superbly and the skaters made the very complex moves look effortless on and above the small rink.

The Music composed by Maestro Silvio Amato aided the skaters in their storytelling as emotions were powerfully communicated to the audience: the Queen Drina’s frustration with Snow White, the comedy from the seven Woodcutters, the romance between Snow White and Prince Charming and the excitement from the Court Jester’s daring acrobatics. The atmosphere was mesmerizing from the start of the show; although the lack of a live orchestra made the music a little one dimensional.

The Costumes by Joolz were colourful and imaginative, adding depth to each character. Toppa the Crow’s costume was by far the most believable, being my favourite bird outfit, as I thought the feathers on the other bird costumes were a little sparse. Toppa the Crows, Alexei Kozlov, clever skating had you believing in his role as a bird and was fun to watch.

Drina’s character was danced by two skaters, Svetlana Kuprina and John Hamer, which aided in portraying the magical transformations she undertook to try and successfully complete her evil plan. Queen Drina’s character developed during the show with her skating and storytelling becoming more enjoyable as the show progressed.

Snow White, (Irina Tkachuk) and Prince Charming’s, (Valdis Mintals), duet in the woods was spell-binding. It wonderfully communicated the passion and romance between them and all the lifts were completed perfectly. I believe the Court Jesters, Ekaterina Belokopytova and Yuri Kuprin, also deserve a special mention as their skating and airborne acrobatics were extremely impressive and I enjoyed their performances immensely.

I have never seen a live ice show before therefore I didn’t know what to expect, but this entertaining and magical interpretation of Snow White by the Russian Ice Stars was definitely a great evening out and one I would recommend to all.