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Canadian Stars on Ice Review - Vancouver, BC - May 18, 2012
Written by Tina
Most of the time when I go to see a skating show, I am content to
watch it and shoot it at the same time. I enjoy the process of
capturing the skaters' actions, and feeling like I am to a certain
extent interacting with their performances as I strive to track their
movements and catch the best moments. However, with this year's Stars
on Ice show, I often found myself really wishing I could just sit
there and watch it, particularly during group numbers. I felt like I
was missing stuff, and not getting the chance to truly appreciate the
complexity and depth of the choreography. So when the opportunity
arose to go to the last show in Vancouver, I decided to go for it, and
go without my camera.
Seeing the last show in Vancouver was doubly interesting for me, since
I had seen one of the earliest US shows in Seattle - in fact, the
first true full-through of the show after it came back from its
post-Lake Placid hiatus. I knew that this year's show was very much a
work in progress, with Kurt Browning as co-director and choreographer
constantly watching and tweaking and trying to improve it. It was
already interesting to see the changes he'd made in bringing the tour
to Canada. Now I'd get to see the show just about as polished as it
would ever get, at the end of 22 shows (not counting Japan, where they
didn't do the whole show) and 12 for this cast.
I was seated in the 13th row at center ice, which was a great
perspective from which to see the lighting. The light patterns,
colors, and effects were beautiful in the show, and were used quite
effectively to complement the programs. In fact, I felt like the
lights and screens were used more effectively than in years past to
really add to the look and feel of the show. The only sour note in my
show experience was unfortunately a rather obtrusive one - a really
loud, really garrulous couple right behind me who would not stop
talking throughout the entire show, and not about the show. It was
annoying to the point of ruining the experience of the show for me. I
should have said something, but didn't. I just did my best to ignore
them. I don't understand people like that - if they wanted to spend
the evening drinking beer and talking, why don't they just go to a bar
and not ruin it for the rest of us? But I digress.
ACT I
Opening - A Suite For Stars - Cast
I give the opening number points for trying something different, for
introducing the theme of Love n' Life clearly, and through the
skaters' own voices. It's a little odd for me in Canada because there
were a lot of new skaters whose voices I don't know that well, so it
wasn't always easy to tell who was saying what. I kind of liked the
bit they introduced of Shawn being the outsider - he jumped in an
opposite direction as the other three (Kurt, Jeremy, Jeff) and stood
by himself when Jeremy said life was about "unity", but then declared
that it was ok to be different when Jeremy said that sometimes it was
hard to fit in. It's a bit of an obvious lesson for the kids in the
audience, but it's true. It's especially true for kids who get teased
for figure skating, and it was a nice little moment. There are some
nice group skating moments as well. But overall, I still find it kind
of cheesy. Ah well.
I'm Into Something Good - Kurt Browning
Kurt was really on in Vancouver. His jumps were clean and solid for
the most part (more in the second number than the first), his footwork
clean and crisp, with a sense of exuberance just emanating from him. I
particularly enjoyed seeing his first number without shooting it. I
don't feel this is one of his instant classic programs - it feels a
bit too fluffy - but I had a greater appreciation for the nuances of
his interpretation of the music. All the little steps, the unexpected
stops and turns, the twists of his body and choreographic moments to
highlight bits of the lyrics - it all made the program fun to
watch. Not to mention that ability he has to just invite the audience
to have as much as he's having.
Tightrope - Ashley Wagner
When I first saw the show, I felt like the first act had too many kind
of beat-driven, dance-type numbers. However as I watched the show
more, I got a finer appreciation for the different ways in which each
skater interpreted their music, and the differences in the music
itself. Ashley's program really played with the "tightrope" theme of
the music. She incorporated cute moments like pretending to lose her
balance, deliberately coming out of jumps awkwardly, looking like she
was trying to balance as she took steps. She didn't take it over the
line into excessive cutesiness though, just added a level of
interpretation to her movement. I like that she's got this spunk and
really engages with the audience with her eyes and facial expression,
and that she makes unusual choices in her movement.
We Speak No Americano - Shawn Sawyer
I don't know if it's because I was sitting further back, or because
I've just gotten used to this program, but I no longer see as strong
similarities to parts of Kurt's Raggy clown number in this
program. There are pieces of choreography that definitely seem to be
callbacks, but on the whole, Shawn does different things with them.
This is a great, crowd-pleasing program, a great piece of
entertainment. Shawn takes engagement with the audience to another
level - it's not Kurt's affability and warmth and sense of personal
relationship with the audience, but rather a more intense
puppy-doggish desire to entertain and be seen. He's out there going
"look at me look at me!" but he's doing it by giving the audience a
whole lot to look at. I think he's really found his niche as a
professional performer, and he's done it while still keeping up his
jumps and beautiful spins, while adding a host of things only he can
do.
Transition - The Four Stops
I love how the "Four Stops" are introduced, with the video screens
showing each guy's face and name as the cheesy announcer says it -
Harry (Jeff), Barry (Jeremy), Larry (Scott) and (with a slightly less
enthused tone) Les (Kurt with a hapless look on his face). The song
for this bit is also really appropriate - "One Bad Apple". In this
transition, Kurt is supposed to be distracted by the ridiculously
large flower boutinniere he's wearing (while the other guys have
normal sized ones), but it was a bit different than the last few times
I've seen it, and I'm not sure it worked as well. Instead of getting
distracted and getting out of line going the wrong way, only to have
one of the other guys catch him and reel him back, Kurt just went the
wrong way and ended up on the other side of the ice while the other
guys I guess just ignored him? And I got less of a sense that he
realized he was doing the wrong thing. At the end, he waves with an
expression of stupid adoration at Cynthia for a really long time until
Scott comes and pulls him back. I don't know how much the changes were
due to last show hijinks (they always try to pull a few inside joke
pranks) and how many were just differences.
Let Me Think About It - Cynthia Phaneuf
Of all the beat-driven dance type programs in the first act, I think
Cynthia's is the least memorable because it's the least different,
interpretation-wise. She moves well, she has the attitude, the
shoulder shimmying, the kind of confidently sexy facial expressions,
but the program just doesn't stand out. It's fine though, and she
skates it well.
Transition - The Four Stops
This is the transition where Kurt is standing a bit too close to Jeff
and keeps finding himself on the receiving end of Jeff's fist as they
go through the choreography (hence the music: "Can't Get Next To
You"). I realized it helps to be on the side of the audience which can
see Kurt's face as he's getting accidentally punched by Jeff. The body
language is funny, but the face is even funnier. This transition also
was somewhat different, IMO to its detriment humor-wise, in
Vancouver. At the end, when Kurt's been knocked to the ground by the
punch he failed to duck, in Toronto/Hamilton, as the other three guys
thrust their arms up for bows in turn, Kurt's arms also went up
perfectly in time as he lay there on the ice. In Vancouver, there was
quite a lag between the 3 guys and Kurt sticking his arms up, which I
guess implied he was quite dazed, but which I didn't find as
funny. It's still a funny transition, but the laughs they got in
Toronto and Hamilton were bigger, IMO.
Shake It Out - Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje
It's hard for me to talk about Kaitlyn and Andrew without also talking
about Tessa and Scott, because to me, they represent such different
schools of ice dance. I'm not an ice dance expert, by any means, but I
feel like there are a lot of ice dancers who are super dramatic in
their choreography and expressions, whose costumes are all flowing
raggedy drama, whose hair even reflects the drama by being all long
and flowy. And to a certain extent, Kaitlyn & Andrew kind of fit into
that school for me - both programs were lots of drama and passion and
super-committed movements that at times were almost flailing with
emotion. Whereas Tessa and Scott's movement seems to stem more from
simplicity and purity of movement, from a sense of sweetness and
affection and romance. It's an interesting contrast.
At any rate, I did like both of W&P's programs. Shake It Out was
compellingly propulsive, dramatic and triumphant and continuously
moving, and it was interesting to watch.
I Won't Give Up - Jeremy Abbott
Jeremy does some wonderful things with the tempo and feel of this
number. He doesn't stuff it too full of choreography and movement, but
at the same time the program isn't empty, either. He's not just
gliding and dramatically pointing into the air as some people would
interpret this kind of music. I thikn he's good at doing the build and
speed at the right parts of the music, before subsiding into stillness
at other parts. I feel like he took his time, there was space in the
program, and that's what the music called for. And he captured that
sense of melancholy yearning beautifully.
Indestructible - Joannie Rochette
Musically, I think this was one of the more interesting choices by the
ladies skaters in the show. It could be loosely classified (by me, at
least) as just a kind of dance number with a beat, but the music isn't
that simple. It has the string section, it's got variations in tempo
and rhythm and mood, and she interprets it really well. Honestly,
though, this program felt more tentative and off in Vancouver than I'm
used to seeing from her. I was actually wondering if there was
something odd about the ice, because I noticed both her and Jeff and
possibly some of the other skaters just didn't seem to get the lift on
their jumps, and their steps were more tentative. It was still a good
program, with different kinds of movement to it, but she's definitely
performed it better in the past.
Hallelujah - Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir
I really like the intro bars into the song - there's something
hauntingly just slightly discordant about it, something that feels a
little off, that creates a tension that would have been really
interesting to see explored through the song. However, the song soon
becomes the Hallelujah everyone is familiar with - haunting,
plaintive, melancholy, but without that same odd tension as the
beginning. While I would have loved to see Tessa & Scott try to
something more along the lines of the beginning of the song, I still
liked their performance and interpretation of Hallelujah. There's
something just very lovely and clean and pure about their skating, and
how they relate to each other on the ice.
Big Love - Jeffrey Buttle
It's slightly odd to me - in Hamilton I felt without a doubt that Big
Love was one of the absolute highlights of the show. I like it when
skaters move differently, when they use their bodies in different ways
and to create interesting shapes and to drive their movement
differently, and Jeffrey Buttle absolutely does that in this number. I
also like the music - it's not typical skating music and there's
something driving and raw and powerful about it. However, in
Vancouver Jeffrey's performance of it felt more tentative and didn't
have the absolute commitment that made it so compelling in
Toronto. Plus, he had a few wonky jumps, including a 2-axel that ended
up almost in a split, which was ironically perfectly timed to the
singer letting out some raw "ooh! ahh!"s which is kind of what that
split looked like. It's too bad he ended the tour with a weaker
performance of what I still think is a pretty phenomenal
program.
Rolling in the Deep - Cast
Speaking of a pretty phenomenal program...Rolling in the Deep remains
one of my favorite Stars group numbers in recent years (and possibly
longer), and one that hits on so many levels unusual for a Stars on
Ice group number. The opening is fun in its character/comedic levels,
but in a subtle way, while at the same time mining the unique sound of
skate blades on ice while calling back to the "Five Minutes for Icing"
number of yore. In Vancouver, there was a definite minor prank here -
usually all three guys end up balancing on one foot for a long time,
while Jeremy tries to mess Shawn up, etc. However, in Vancouver Jeremy
and Shawn kept nonchalantly dancing in place and left Kurt hanging
alone on one foot for a very long time.
Then I love the definite shift/transition that takes place as the
three guys move down the ice, carving out sound and motion with their
blades, and then throw things back down the ice with a very definitive
movement to transfer the attention to the 3 girls who have
appeared. And then there's another shift to a more focused power,
strong movements, confrontational body language and choreography,
before the music and choreography shift again to the dance teams
swooping in and up into a lift. Then having the singles skaters do
lifts as well - it's a cool image, and a unifying one after having
them mime "fighting" each other. Loved the bit where they're skating
down the ice in a straight line but the mikes are back on and it's not
just a simple everyone skating in a line, people are turning and
carving their blades on the ice in counterpoint, while still moving as
a group. And then the way things go still while the five women break
out in their really slow held glides, before the guys run out and
fling them back into action again.. There are just so many cool
moments and such great complex footwork and choreography, it's hard to
catch it all, but it makes the number rewarding in new ways each and
every time I see it. And such a great song!
In the Lindt promotion (which I still find terribly cheesy partly b/c
Tessa is sweet but not that great at convincingly delivering lines),
Scott pointed out just how meaningful Vancouver was to them, what with
the Olympics and winning their first national title there. Tessa said
she remembered having a Lindt before their long(?) program at the
Olympics, and apologized to Scott for the chocolate breath. I missed
the World Vision promo b/c I realized that it was the perfect time to
hit the restroom before a line formed, so I don't know if Jeff said or
did anything unusual.
ACT II
A Life Loved - Cast
It's been really interesting to see how this number has developed from
early in the US tour through the end of the Canadian tour. It's
definitely the number that's been tweaked the most, all to its
benefit. If you don't know the number, check out my Toronto/Hamilton review for the
details. Of all the numbers in this show, "A Life Loved" definitely
best embodies the "Love 'n Life" theme. It depicts both the evolution
of a love story and relationship, and just the evolution of a life
through time. The love story hits the big milestones of proposal,
pregnancy, and death (though the latter is subtly hinted at), as well
as the cycle from the man (briefly) alone finding love, and eventually
finding himself alone again. The life story sees the same man/couple
from the exuberance of youth through the stability and relative
calmness of not-yet-middle-age, to the relative slowness of age. It
also speaks to the strength of memory and nostalgia, and how love
transcends death. It's just a lovely number from start to
finish.
Sing, Sing, Sing - Jeremy Abbott
Having only seen this number when it immediately followed guest
skaters Meryl Davis & Charlie White in Toronto and Hamilton, I have no
idea if Jeremy's intro to it in Vancouver was typical, or
Vancouver-only. He spent a good amount of time just playing with the
audience, encouraging cheers and setting one side of the audience
against the other. When he finally settled into performing his
program, the audience was warmed up, and so was he. He landed a
beautiful 3-2 (I think) combination, as well as a triple axel, which
was really fun to see. He likes to pull on his suspenders a little
much for my taste, but he really interacts with the audience and looks
like he's having a great time. It's a fun program with lots of quick
steps and great jumps.
Je l'aime a Mourir - Cynthia Phaneuf
Cynthia's second number was nice enough - the music was pensive and
melancholy, and her body language and performance matched. To me,
though, even though the song isn't musically a "Generic Female
Ballad", somehow the interpretation kind of feels that generic to
me. I feel like I've seen Cynthia do this program many times
before. It was good, but among this group of creative skaters, it
didn't stand out.
Je Suis Malade - Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje
While "Shake It Out" was dramatic in a triumphant, propulsive way, "Je
Suis Malade" was dramatic in trying to tell a story of the
relationship between these two passionate people. Kaitlyn and Andrew
really commit themselves to the expressions, body language, and
choreography, and paint a beautiful picture out on the ice. There's
that sense of longing, of unfulfilled or unrequited passion which
plays itself out beautifully.
Alegria - Shawn Sawyer
Again, I don't know if the changes to the Four (well, Three) Stops
transition here was due to it being the final show, or a change they
made after Toronto. However, this time around as Jeremy and Scott
carried Shawn out onto the ice, Jeffrey was making loud "beep beep"
noises as he directed them with his airport runway worker lights. He
then danced exuberantly in place until the other two, looking
desperate, got him back on task so they could put Shawn down. When
they set Shawn down and started skating away, Shawn cleared his throat
loudly while extending his foot up into the air so Jeffrey could clean
his skate blade. And as Jeffrey finished, he made a very pointed
"*thank* you!". It was all quite funny.
Shawn's Alegria number is something that I honestly think only he
could do, and that he does amazingly well. Sasha Cohen is flexible
like Shawn, and does many similar moves, but Shawn has this level of
intensity and passionate commitment to his skating that Sasha lacks,
and it fits Cirque du Soleil really well. He inhabits that Cirque
creature fully, all the while exhibiting amazing body control and
flexibility. It's a much less "look at me! look at me!" performance
than his first, but as a consequence it's almost more compelling to
watch. Not to mention, he's still landing beautiful jumps in between
the backflips and flexible moves. One of the highlight solo numbers of
the evening for me.
Your Song - Ashley Wagner
This song is perhaps the most "generic female ballad" in style of all
the songs in the show, but Ashley turns it into something else. She is
super graceful and fluid, and just flows through the number like silk,
but her movement didn't feel like a typical pretty ladies program to
me. She really captured the plaintive longing mood of the song, and
her jumps were beautiful and flowed right out of the music.
Waiting For My Real Life To Begin - Jeremy Abbott, Jeffrey Buttle,
Scott Moir, Andrew Poje
I have to say, I think that this is one of the best group numbers,
artistically, that Stars on Ice has ever done. The concept, the
music, the execution - it's so different and so beautiful, just a
wonderful fusion of dance and skating, and the kind of thing that can
only really be done in a show like Stars on Ice. I love how it uses
the lights so effectively to create a visual picture, and yet at the
same time isn't just a gimmicky lighting program. That choreography to
that music would still stand up beautifully even without the play of
shadow and light. It's an all-guys' number, which Stars on Ice has
done so many of, putting the guys in white tank tops, and yet not
being at all about guys just being eye candy for the women in the
audience. There's a simplicity and elegance to the number that
nonetheless contains within it bursts of passion and raw emotion. It's
just gorgeous, and I could watch it over and over.
Formidable - Joannie Rochette
Of course, breaking up the mood very effectively, is a very very
cheesy and hilarious Kurt coming out with a fake center-parted little
toupee plastered on his head, chocolate and flowers in hand, and an
overweening sense of confidence in his own sexiness. The song is, of
course, Love Machine. Kurt plays this part to the hilt, eliciting
gales of laughter with his preening "ladies' man". His character is
*so* self-confident that when Joannie blows right by him, his response
is a haughty "I'm too much of a man for her anyway" and a decision not
to put his "delicious smooth Lindt chocolates" to waste. Which, IMO,
is a much more effective Lindt promo than the super blatant one at the
end of Act I.
Having established her standards by blowing off "Love Machine" Kurt,
Joannie went on to skate a whimsical and free-spirited ode to her
"formidable" love (keeping in mind formidable means "great" in French,
not "inspiring fear" as in English). She brings a great sense of
relaxed joy and gently flirty choreography to this program, combined
with some lovely solid jumps and beautiful spins. I'm rather fond of
her sudden swoops into spread eagles as well. It was rather amusing in
Vancouver because the boy she picked out to put her scarf around was
clearly not at all happy to be picked, and just sat there like a
sullenly embarrassed rock even after she moved away.
Both Sides Now - Jeffrey Buttle
When I watched the show previously, I thought "Big Love" was an
absolute highlight while "Both Sides Now" was a good program, and
pretty, but I was distracted by comparisons to the Kristi
Yamaguchi/Jenni Meno/Denis Petrov program they did 10 years
ago. However, in Vancouver, "Big Love" was weaker while I was
captivated by Jeffrey's performance to "Both Sides Now". The program
is gorgeous - smooth, flowing, gliding edges, quiet moments of
reflection, moments of regret, wistfully melancholy, yet infused with
joy as well. I really got a sense of that "both sides" theme -
happiness and sorry, regret and hope. It just lovely.
Good Feeling - Cynthia Phaneuf, Joannie Rochette, Tessa Virtue,
Ashley Wagner, Kaitlyn Weaver
I was interested to see if this new girls' group number would look
more polished with more shows under their belts, and to a certain
extent, it does. There's more assurance in the girls' steps, less
sidelong looks to catch what the others are doing. The number itself
is fun, upbeat, and dancey, and makes effective use of lighting to
bring up the visual impact. It still is the least polished looking
number in the show, but it's a lot of fun, and Tessa Virtue in
particular is enjoyable to watch. This was the number which had the
most obvious last-show prank in it. Partway through the number, Shawn
suddenly came running out in high heels, a yellow bikini, and a small
blue flotation tube around his waist. He called out "Helllooooooo" and
then continue to teeter with little mincing steps and fluttering arms
down the entire length of the on-ice seats before finally making it to
the tunnel. Kind of left the audience going "did I really just see
that?"
Feeling Good - Kurt Browning
WOW. This number just keeps getting better and better. Kurt's ease in
performing it, the smoothness, the aggressiveness and
self-assuredness...and those jumps! His double axel right off the top
was gorgeous and high and perfectly timed to the music. Beautiful
solid triple toe, slightly wonky 2-axel followed by a much more solid
2-axel. An oddly-landed but beautifully jumped
straight-into-choreography 3-toe at the end... There were shows on the
US tour where Kurt was clearly tired and the jumps weren't as solid,
but here, at the end of a long season, he was just completely on. I
love the choreography of this program - it's so interesting, with
intricate little steps, shifts in intensity and speed, and interesting
body movement. Kurt possesses a total command of the audience, and
utter commitment to the movements when performing it, and the whole
package is just wonderful. I keep wanting to say it's one of his best
programs in years, but his programs last year were pretty stellar as
well.
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Tessa Virtue & Scott
Moir
I marvel at how even in a high-energy, fun, extrovertedly dancing
program like this one, Tessa and Scott still find the time to include
little intimate moments of romanticism. It's like they're trying to
encourage their audiences to see them as a romantic couple. At any
rate, this number is just sheer fun, from the blindingly blingy dress
Tessa wears, to the big grins on both Tessa and Scott's faces as they
dance up a storm. There are some fun lifts, including the infamous
"Goose" move (I always marvel at Tessa's dismount more than the lift
itself), and lots of fun steps. It's a great program to get the
audience charged up for the finale.
Dog Days Are Over - Cast
It's interesting to me to have watched Dog Days Are Over in many
incarnations, from the early days filmed in Lake Placid and Japan,
through the early part of the US tour, and now to the end of the
Canadian tour. It's a wonderful finale, full of intricate footwork and
movement, and it really struck me while watching it in Vancouver how
much it hangs on the skaters being in sync. When they are in sync, as
they were in Vancouver, there's this great sense of the group moving
together as one entity, as part of a greater whole, and the number
just looks super cool. When they're not, like earlier in the US tour,
it can be jarring and messy, and the number just doesn't work as
well. I give kudos to Kurt and Jeffrey for challenging the skaters
with a number that really relies on them being on top of their game to
make it truly effective. And I give kudos to the Canadian cast for
bringing their A-game and really digging into the choreography and
performance. It was just a wonderful end to a wonderful show.
The finale/bows were also a bit different this year in that they were
really well coordinated to the final song, "Love Will Keep Us
Together". The whole audience greeting/shaking hands part is
choreographed - the skaters split up to go down the two halves of the
ice, but then at some predetermined time, the skaters on each side
skate out to the middle and trade sides. Usually, when they do this
trade, the guy and girl on opposite sides meet in the middle and do a
little something together. In Vancouver, Kurt grabbed Cynthia by the
face and planted a big kiss on her lips, leaving her looking rather
dazed and fanning herself after. Later, Ashley and Shawn went down the
ice and did side-by-side jumps perfectly in sync. At the very end as
the skaters retreated into the tunnel, Ashley and Jeremy stood by the
tunnel with their arms around each other waving and smiling at the
audience until Kurt came back out and pushed them back in. Even then,
Jeremy tried to break away and come back out to wave some more. It was
really cute and really gave the sense of just how much these skaters
enjoyed performing the show and performing for the audience.
Overall, I think this year's Stars on Ice tour is one of the best
they've done in many years. Usually, when Stars on Ice tries to have a
theme, I complain about how it isn't maintained consistently, and that
they drop the ball frequently in remembering they even have a
theme. This year, I think the show was extremely cohesive and
extremely thematically coherent. Every group number not only fit the
theme, but in many cases really explored it, often in very creative
and artistic ways. The solos were well-integrated, the transitions
were humorous and kept things going, and the whole show just flowed
really well from start to finish. I realize that as a dedicated Kurt
fan, I am biased to begin with, but I honestly think that Kurt
Browning has done an exceptional job in his first outing as
co-director and principal choreographer, and put together an extremely
memorable show. I'm sad that the 2012 tour is over and that I won't
get to see these numbers again, but grateful I had the chance to watch
it enough to really enjoy it and see it develop over the course of the
season.
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