Stars on Ice Review - Lake Placid, NY - Nov. 27, 2004

Our seats were supposed to be 2nd row on-ice in the corner, but when we got there we realized they didn't exist! (I think I've had a nightmare like that before.) Instead, we were moved to 2nd row on-ice, center ice near all the VIP's! We sat right behind Emily Hughes, and a lot of people that looked quite a bit like her & Sarah. Katia, Daria, Eliza (in pigtails - what a cutie!), Katia's mother, Rosalynn Sumners, Christine Hough (??), and Todd's mom were also spotted. Before the show, Todd walked by and smiled at my mom, which made her quite happy. The rest of the trip, she kept telling me that I was the only person she knew that could truly appreciate this moment that defined the epitome of her skating fandom. ;-)

I'm sure everyone's already read the review on Alexei's board. I can't approach that level of detail, but I'll add what I can.

Before the opening, Steven came out and read a letter from Scott, wishing the cast good luck. He also gave us a pep talk about being on tv and cheering a lot. Then he took out a cell phone and dialed Scott's number so we could all say Hi. I think we got voicemail, but left a thundering round of applause for him to find later.

"Pure Imagination" - Cast - Blue shimmery costumes and blue lights. I'm almost positive Kurt was in this number, but he wasn't introduced until before his solo.

"Let Me Entertain You" - Todd - Lots of energy but a few jumping problems that were fixed in retakes. He looked disappointed, but the audience was very supportive. Incidently, I think it's the first time I've heard the words "shake your ass" at SOI. ;-)

"Naughty Girl" - Yuka - I have to admit that the lyrics made me cringe. "So SEEXXyy.. tonight i am yours". I don't know why SOI insists on playing up things like this, since most fans are female. Despite the music, Yuka's understated elegance shines through. I will happy watch this one with the mute button on.

"Harder to Breathe" - Kyoko & John

"Jitter Bug" - Kurt - Centerpeice is a big wooden "Gabe's" toy box containing small skates for his hands, a jump rope, boxing gloves, toy wrench, red cape, miniature hockey stick, a plastic fireman's hat, and other goodies. This program and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (sp?) run together, but the idea is that he's home and supposed to be fixing a drippy faucet. He uses the fireman's hat to catch the water, which he later dumps on his head. Highlights included cartwheels, double jumping rope, and a (double?) axel over the box.

"TKO" - Steven, Todd, David, Alexei, and John are dressed in ratty street clothes, beating each other up. One move was similar to that used in the clown ensemble number a few years back, where the skaters stand in a line, lean backwards, and slowly fall whiile the others skate over them. I think Steven won the fight.

Transition involved a stack of boxes, slid out on the ice. Each box is removed and stacked again. A hidden door is opened and Sarah jumps out. Definitely the most effective trick of the night.

"Raindrops Will Fall" - Sarah - I suppose this could be classified as a GFB. Sarah's jumps aren't what they used to be - only doubles - but IMO her artistry has improved quite a bit. I think she's grown in height some, as she is now taller than some of the guys, but she uses it to her advantage. Lovely spirals and spins.

"If I Could" - Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - Gorgeous gold costume for Elena. Beautiful skating - what fans would expect from them.

"Radar Love" - Jamie & David - Suits them perfectly. Jamie obviously had an inside joke going with a guy sitting near Sarah's family, winking at him whenever she skated by.

Transition included four or five skaters dressed in red with giant yo-yo's, trying to hypnotise the audience "You WILL buy your entire family Smuckers Stars On Ice T-Shirts, preferably the ones with the whole cast on the front" and "pay no attention to what's happening over there in the other corner of the rink" (where Alexei is setting up his sheet).

"Passion" - Alexei - I can't believe that he's not strapped in somehow, but if he is you can't tell. He's at least 30 feet in the air, upside-down, over bare ice. It begins tamely enough, but soon he's doing multiple pullovers followed by double flips, catching himself by the strength of his shins. As a former (now old-lady) gymnast, I can imagine how many ways things could go wrong. And I hope someone spent time finding a shear cloth that can take that kind of impact night after night. Maybe it's a lot safer than it looks, but not knowing makes me nervous. The rest of the program was very intense and filled with powerful skating.

"The Ride of Life" - Cast - Skaters line up two by two as if they're riding along a bus or rollercoaster, intermittently throwing their hands up and simultaneously yelling "whooo!" as if they're reaching the crest of a sharp drop. Costumes are red with umbrella props. Rain pours from above and everyone except Kyoko has an umbrella. I think she's supposed to look like she's enjoying it, but they really drenched her. It's probably not something they practiced very much.

INTERMISSION - got a chance to check out the rain machine. Perforated pipe is strung from the light rigs. I didn't spot an inlet, so I'm guessing there's a water tank up there, too.

"Mr. Blue Sky" - Sarah, Steven, Todd, David, Alexei, and John. A nice group number with umbrellas. Sarah's family seemed to like it.

"Amazing Grace" - Yuka - Beautiful number

Transition with Todd announcing the performance of his flee-sized tenor. Todd holds the microphone up to his hand as the flee sings. After a round of applause, Todd and takes a bow, crushing the flee. Todd looks at his hand in shock, and shows it to Steven who shakes his head in disbelieve.

"Come Back To Bed" - Steven. *Sigh* Perfect music for skating. Slow ballad that builds to the end. It's so nice to see Steven back, and he looks to be 100%. Great jumps, speed, and expression.

"Step-Sisters". Elena, Kyoko, Yuka, Jamie, and Steve - Number begins with the women in colorful french maid costumes, skating to music about staying pretty if you want to be loved. They remove their skirts, wearing black sparkly dresses, throw them at Steven, and the music transitions to something about women being powerful.

"Super.." See above. (Sorry to cop out! I wish I remembered more!)

"Dance Mix" - Berezhnaya & Sikharulidze - Somewhat disjointed melody of hip hop music. Elena's costume looks like a low slung skirt over a very high-cut bodysuit, and Anton is decorated with lots of Bling.

"Shout" - Costume is a hawaiian shirt and black spandex capri-length pants, which look a bit goofy with his skating boots. ;-) Lots of speed and energy, as the crowd clapped along. For those of you with on-ice seats at the hockey centerline with the entrance on your left, be prepared to have a close encounter.

Transition with four skaters dressed in robes with large hoods, making "smoke". Lights go down, and Jamie & David appear in purple velvet costumes.

"Who Wants To Live Forever" - Jamie & David

"Over the Rainbow" - Sarah Hughes

"Forevermore" - Todd - Dramatic. A few jump problems.

Transition involved two men wrapping Kyoko in a large curtain, snapping their fingers, then opening the curtain again. On the first try, Kyoko had a wardrobe malfunction, and wasn't able to pull off the outer costume in time. This was fixed during retakes.

"Dream On" - Cast. Nice finale, but it was over before it started. Snow fell from the light fixtures.

Steven came out and begged people to stay for retakes. Not quite as effective as Scott at the whole "Hey! You! Yes, YOU! COME BACK!!!" thing, but most people stayed. Retakes were pretty uneventful, until Kurt came out and started cracking jokes about the toy box, being nervous for its first show and all. He ended the night by redoing portions of his Super.. number. As he finished and grabbed his props, cautiously picking up the once-full fireman hat and putting it on his head, he whole-heartedly thanked everyone for staying and said how much he appreciates the fan support.