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Stars on Ice Review - Boston, MA - Mar. 3, 2011
Written by Leah
Out of the entire thing, getting to watch the practice was oddly the
coolest part. The meet and greet was before the show, so the 10 or so
of us (I was happily surprised at how few of us there were) were taken
up to the last row arena stands to wait while they got a few
skaters. According to Todd, Sasha made them late. So thank you,
Sasha. Because I couldn't have been any further in heaven watching
them practice (such a dork) :D While we were waiting, we got to watch
Kyoko, John, Sasha, Joannie, Kurt, Tanith, and Ben. It's really odd to
watch these Olympic-level skaters and realize it just looks like a
"regular-person" practice. Okay--well, until Kurt comes out. Most
people stroke around a couple times, do a few waltz jumps, back
scratch... no, he has to do his 300 mph footwork around the rink 3
times : D After about 20 minutes on cloud 9, we were lead down to the
ice where Scott came out and said hi and shook our hands. If there is
one accomplishment in my life I will forever be proud of, it is not
passing out after that. And then we have the moment where Kurt was
skating by and smiled at me. Not sure how I was able to remain upright
on my pathetically shaking legs, but somehow, it happened. After quite
happily waiting for a while, Todd, Sasha, and Joannie came out to do
the meet and greet. They brought us into one of gates to backstage
from the ice to do autographs and pictures. They were all super nice :
) Everyone wound up standing next to Sasha for pictures, and when I
got up there, she said everyone wanted to stand next to her so they
could feel tall. I'm only 5'1.5 (that .5 is very important), so I just
said it was nice to feel normal : P
Enough about the meet and greet : ) So the 20 people who decided to
stand right in front of my on-ice seat for the first minute of the
opening graciously gave me several panic attacks (haha probably a
little bit of over-reacting). The only criticism I have of the show is
the arena staff weren't very good at making sure people were seated
(there was an elderly man who took laps around the on-ice seats for a
good 20 minutes). You know you procrastinate too much when you have
watched the opening enough times on YouTube to have it entirely
memorized... I really liked this opening number though--much better
than last year's. Kurt and Scott bantered around for a little while
jokingly reenacting parts of group numbers from the early days of the
tour. These two are just hilarious together, and the friendship they
share really shows.
Somebody to Love - Mike
This is one of those songs where if you don't have good choreography,
it just doesn't work. It worked.
True Colors - Joannie
It wasn't until last year that I really started watching her. Her
jumps on TV are one thing--her jumps live are just flat out
incredible. To combine her incredible technical skating with the
emotion she put into the program was really breathtaking.
That's Life - Todd Eldredge
Not really my taste of music, but if Todd's skating to it, I'll take
it any day. His double axels (along with Kurt's) look completely
effortless--amazing. And to this day, there are few things that amuse
me more than a few nods of approval for a triple lutz and then going
absolutely nuts for a scratch spin : P
Cinema Italiano - Katia Gordeeva
Thanks, Katia. Now your song is stuck in my head. : P I didn't really
like it when I saw it on the broadcast, but it was much better live!
Watching her during the warm up in addition to the actual show really
impressed me with how beautifully she still skates after all these
years.
Use Somebody - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto
This was flat out breathtaking. Whenever they do these love programs,
it always amazes me how they are able to connect so well with the
audience while they are telling the story of their love for each
other.
On the Golden Pond - Katia, Evan, Kyoko, Mike, & John
Once again, beautiful. I really liked the music to this--it was
flowing and soft at the beginning, and then picked up power towards
the end. All of the skaters handled this transition beautifully... did
I mention it was beautiful?
Steppin' Out of My Mind - KURT BROWNING AHHH sorry *clears throat*
Kurt Browning
Nothing like a bias, eh? : P No, but seriously, he is 42 (I
think?). I'm 17 and could only dream of pathetically attempting what
he does. I know it was a comedic routine (and trust me--it was). But
Kurt just can't seem to hide his extraordinary technique. When the day
comes (and again, trust me--with what he can do at 42, it will QUITE a
while), something tells me he will be fast-feet dancing down a
retirement home hallway with a walker : D Geoffrey Tyler came to the
show to sing the song live, and I was surprised at how little response
he got (although I suspect not many people realized he was there for a
good portion of it). His voice was really spectacular, so with both
him and Kurt doing their thing, it was just plain awesome.
Nobody Knows - Sasha Cohen
I know this is probably ridiculous, but her new haircut makes her look
completely different (not just her hair looks different--obviously it
does, but that she just looks different as a whole). Maybe she looks
older? Who knows. AHAAaaaahh I'm so funny....... Either way, this
program is really well done. The more SOI shows I see, the more I am
convinced that the whole idea of losing all ability after turning pro
is flat out ridiculous. Not only is a spectacular technical skater,
but through the years, she has really matured as a performer.
The Climb - Evan Lysacek
It still amazes me every time I see him live the amount of air time he
gets on his jumps. Seriously, he picks in, vaults up, hangs around for
a bit, rotates 3 times, decides it's time to come back down, and then
lands on a perfectly backward edge. His choice of music was really
nice, but seriously? Black? AGAIN?? : P There again, he could dress in
purple zebra stripes and I wouldn't care :D
Knock, Knock - Cast
Unfortunately, from where I was sitting, it was hard to be able to see
what went on to the side where the piano was. But from the rest that I
saw, it was awesome. SOI is really good at mixing different
tempo/style music while making it all blend really well together. My
grandma and mom especially appreciated it : P
Who's There? - Cast
Shorter than I expected, but still--good continuation from "Knock,
Knock." And I think they should just make it easier on the audience by
recording three thousand, "I LOVE YOU EVANNNNN!!"s into the
track.
Show Me How You Burlesque - Joannie Rochette
It's nice to see Joannie really expand her music variety. She handled
the tempo of the music really well, and had fun with the music without
it being too much.
Party in the Park - Kurt Browning, Sasha Cohen, & Todd Eldredge
These three are hysterical together. Not saying it's cause Kurt was
there, but I'm not entirely ruling it out...... : P
I Believe in You and Me - Katia Gordeeva
Her fluid skating really shows through in this one--oh boy I'm losing
steam
Beatbox Harmonica - Michael Weiss
Once again, not sure how he managed to make someone playing the
harmonica and beatboxing into a figure skating number, but he did
it. I still think Kurt should have played his harmonica (evidently, he
has been working to trying to learn how to play it for a while
now).
Flamenco - Tanith Belbin & Ben Agosto
My mom thought they were bull fighting. Mom, you sure you're okay?? :
P They portrayed their characters really well (as always), and
showcased their incredible footwork for all total dorks to be
mesmerized at : P
I've Been This Way Before - Todd Eldredge
Again, not quite my cup of tea as far as music selection, but he can
get away with anything : )
Mein Herr - Sasha Cohen
Makes me wonder if part of the reason for her short haircut was for
this Liza Minelli number... Awesome choreography though that really
showcase her skating and personality.
Downstream- Kurt Browning
Talk about passion. Passion for this sport, passion for artistry,
passion for the audience, passion for the history of this tour, and
passion for just doing what he loves. He skates with such ease and
comfort, it's impossible to not be in total awe of this god... MAN.
Pretty Vegas - Kyoko Ina & John Zimmerman
I forgot how tiny Kyoko is! I guess we all expect them to be towering
giants to match their fame and accomplishments (not sure how Evan fits
in to that...). It was really neat to see this program after more than
3 years! I went to my fist SOI show the year they did this program, so
to see it now as someone who I think has more appreciation for it than
I did 3 years ago is really neat.
El Tango de Roxanne - Evan Lysacek
I would like to assure everyone that his fans were still fully
functioning by the end of the show. Evan never fails to amaze me with
the power he skates with--both technically and emotionally. So
deserving for the gold in Vancouver.
The Best - Cast
Ahhh the love-hate relationship with finales: you're enjoying it so
much, but you just don't want it to end! This was another one that was
much better in person. It seemed a bit dull on TV, but there again,
they could probably do waltz jumps for 2 hours and I would be in awe :
P
I would also like to share that their programs have the new book
smell. So everyone buy them so you can have something to do during
intermission! : P
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