Stars on Ice Canadian Premier
Ruth Bailey
I was very fortunate to be able to attend the show as a guest of
Evelyn McCall, who was able to get us on ice tickets and passes to
the reception. A few years ago I was about 5 rows from the ice but
my usual seat is in row 15-20. It is very different to be at the
same level as the skaters with no boards, just a 2-3 foot walkway
between you and the ice. Josee fell right in front of us and slid
to within inches of the lights around the edge. She had the only
fall of the night that I saw. It is impossible to watch everything
with so many occasions with multiple performers on the ice at once.
There were quite a few numbers with one person leaving the ice and
another starting at the other end. ie Kurt leaving and Shae and Vic
starting near the end of act I.
Canadian Tour Cast in order listed in the program:
Kurt Browning
Tara Lipinski
Brian Orser
Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler
Lu Chen
Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
Jennie Meno and Todd Sand
Josee Chouinard
Steven Cousins
I had seen the first TV version of the American tour and it was
very interesting to see the same numbers done with a different
cast. I especially noticed Brian Orser playing the clown with Tara
rather than Scottie.
The program:
Act I
Rock This Town - cast
Jumping Jack (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy) - Kurt Browning (Sandra Bezic)
Sleepwalk - Brain Orser, Lu Chen, Shae and Vic, Meno and Sands
Jump, Jive and Wail - Tara (Sandra Bezic)
Muse - Steven, Lu Chen , Shae-Lynn
A Rose in the Wind ( Anggun) - Josee (Lea Ann Miller)
You're Still the One (Shania Twain) - Isabelle and Lloyd (Uschi
Keszler)
This number was not the usual all tricks program, it was much
more like a eligible pair program with a throw, pairs spins etc. I
thought that it might be a change due to Isabelle's health but the
number in Act II was vintage Brasseur and Eisler, head banger and
all.
Rootbeer and Licorice (Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra) - Brian
Orser (Lori Nichol)
I Could Have Danced All Night (Lerner and Lowe) - Tara (Lea Ann
Miller)
Muse - Steven Cousins, Meno and Sands
Ain't No Sunshine (Bill Withers) - Kurt (Christopher Dean)
Wonderful program - new as far as I know. He skated very close
to us frequently during this and I noticed a very intense
expression on his face.
Hotel California (The Eagles)- Shae and Vic (N Dubova, Shae, Vic)
This program is also some thing I haven't seen before. It is
very smooth and I like it better than the tecno pop number in Act
II, which is also new.
Nosing Around Choreographed by Torvill and Dean - Tara, Brian,
Isabelle, Lloyd, Josee, Lu Chen, Steven, Jenni, Todd, Kurt
I tended to watch Brian and Tara and didn't see most of the
rest of this. Brain did very well with this but it was different
than Scottie's version.
Act II
Muse - Tara, Brain, Lu, Shae and Vic (Hihat)
Invisible (Underworld) - Steven (Hihat and Lea Ann Miller)
I liked this number especially the costume which was black with
fluorescent tape, in various colours, on it. Part of the number was
skated under black light and you could only see the tape except
when Steven was close to us.
I Want to be a Prima Donna (Lesley Garrett)- Josee (Lori Nichol)
This was the number she fell on and muttered something I didn't
get - probably in French. She lost a feather when she fell and we
were very concerned that Lu and Jenni and Todd who skated after her
would fall because of the feather. Steven picked it up during a
comedy bit. Someone else lost part of a flower later and Kurt
picked it up.
Black Magic Oye Como Va (Santana) Lu, Jenni, Todd
Black Magic Woman/ Gypsy Queen (Santana) - Lu (Sandra Bezic)
Europa (Santana) - Jenni and Todd (Sandra Bezic)
Muse Steven
Tango Malaguena (Ernesto Lecuona) Tara and Kurt (Christopher Dean)
This was the highlight of the show for me. Kurt and Tara doing
a dance routine with lifts etc. It was lovely and smooth and very
different from what you normally see from them. I talked to Kurt
about this at the reception and he said "we nearly pulled it off,
neither of us had done anything like this before" I didn't see any
problem but I guess he thought there was one.
Dear Father (Neil Diamond) - Brian (Brian Orser)
Jackson Medley (Michael, Janet J) Shae and Vic (Clarence Ford)
This was the tecno pop number with both of them in black leather
skin tight pants.
Let's Shout (Baby Work Out) (Colin James and the Little Big Band) -
Isabelle and Lloyd (Julie Marcotte)
Second Element ( Sarah Brightman) - Tara (Lea Ann Miller)
Muse -Steven
Rag-GIDON-time ( Giya Kancheli)- Kurt (Sandra Bezic)
I saw this last night on CBS, where Kurt got 6- 6.0 and 1-5.9,
so it was neat to see it live the next day. He does it slightly
differently in the show. He has very long red laces on his boot
which he wraps round and round his ankle and finally breaks off a
piece. He put the pieces in his pocket and one fell out during the
program and he worked picking it up into the choreography. The part
where he lands on the judges table was replaced by Doug Ladret
catching him right in front of the on ice seats on the far side
from where I was sitting.
Face the Face - Cast
Some general comments: I am very impressed with how versatile Tara
is. I like her skating much more than I did last year. She seems
much more mature. Brian is skating very well and seemed to be
enjoying himself very much. Kurt was wonderful as usual. Shae and
Vic are great in a show. I saw them live at the 4 Continents and
they did not seem as relaxed at that time, even in the Gala. When
I was at the reception gathering autographs, Shae was about 6 feet
from Steven and obviously trying to get to him as she said well
I've almost made it and looked his way. I got autographs from
everyone, the biggest mob was around Kurt, but Brian was a close
second. All in all it was a wonderful show and I liked all of the
numbers. Some of the ensemble ones were really nice. The finalee
reminded me a bit of the precision skating on CTV SportsNet last
night. It is sort of mind boggling to get to sit on the ice and met
all the performers after the show. We didn't know where we would be
sitting or whether we would get passes for the reception until we
met Evelyn at the Metro Centre. I am still a bit stunned by my good
luck.
Ruth Bailey
ac...@chebucto.ns.ca
East Dover
Halifax Regional Municipality, NS CAN
Skatfan
>
>I was very fortunate to be able to attend the show as a guest of
>Evelyn McCall, who was able to get us on ice tickets and passes to
>the reception.
Thanks for the review -- this sounds like a great show, and maybe better than
the US one in some respects this year. Was the Kurt and Tara number like the
one in her special -- Dean apparently choreographed that, and it would make
sense that it would be used in the SOI show too.
Renee
ska...@aol.com
tendu
wrote:
>Stars on Ice Canadian Tour - First Night Halifax
Thanks for the great review!
>
>Canadian Tour Cast in order listed in the program:
>Kurt Browning
>Tara Lipinski
>Brian Orser
>Isabelle Brasseur and Lloyd Eisler
>Lu Chen
>Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz
>Jennie Meno and Todd Sand
>Josee Chouinard
>Steven Cousins
So, Lu Chen was the only skater added since the initial cast
announcement. Last week, the ad in my paper was still promising
"international starS" to be announced. That's a cast of 12. How does
that compare to the US tour? Twelve seems a bit skimpy. I thought 13
or 14 was the usual in past years (except for the year Brasseur and
Eisler missed much of the tour when Lloyd's back was injured).
~Nancy
PosterBoy
Ruth Bailey wrote in message ...
>Stars on Ice Canadian Tour - First Night Halifax
>
>I was very fortunate to be able to attend the show
Great review. I'm glad you so enjoyed the show.
Thanks, and
Cheers.
Jennifer
the reception.I was in like the 18 row or something close to that in Section
12.
I was the first one standing after Brian Orser's "Dear Father" program =) I
knew that one would get a Standing Ovation.It was the first Standing O of the
night.I mean where practicaly everyone stands.Then the crowd was much more
excitable after that.The Saint John audience is much more energetic.Even the
skaters say that when they come to Saint John,NB.
At the beginning of the show after everyone was announced,Brian was standing
in the corner of the rink with Josee,He was dancing and trying to get her to
dance.It was so cute.I've never seen him do that before.
At the end of the show when they were shaking hands,I ran down to the
ice,scanned the area for Brian,I saw him and started running to catch up so I
could shake his hand.I got past the first Security guy no problem =) which
sorta surprised me,then I almost ran right by Lu Chen! I shook her hand then
Josee's than ran as fast as I could.I missed Brian by a few seconds!! I waited
just to see if they would shake hands again because they only shook peoples
hands for about 30 seconds.They didn't.They started moving back towards the
black box.Then I just lost it =) I ran along the floor
yelling,"Brian!,Brian!,Brian!! wait... Brian!"....but they left.The lights went
out I was still running for a couple seconds and bumped into a security lady!
Real smart,huh? She said,"Do you have tickets for the floor?" I said,"No..."
"Then you'll have to go back to your seat.Up these stairs please"...I thought
then said,"I'm looking for my sister.She's down here" which was true.She
said,"No...." ..."Oh there she is!" Sarah had come over there just in time. I
said "I'm going up now".....She just gave me a nasty look.What a crab! =) I
know it's her job but she looked so nasty.The show was over anyway so why I
would want to go to me seat again I don't know.Maybe she thought I was going to
go right into the black box.I must admit the thought came across my mind but
quickly left =).........So I missed Brian again.I would do anything to meet
him.I wished so much that I had passes to the reception.Oh well...maybe next
year.
If anyone has any ideas I would be SOOooo Greatful!! Thanks alot!
Please send any suggestions to my email address below,
--
*Jen*
figure...@canada.com
http://www.angelfire.com/sk/skatepage6/
Ruth Bailey <ac...@chebucto.ns.ca> wrote in article
<Pine.GSO.3.95.iB1.0.990...@halifax.chebucto.ns.ca>...
Trudi Marrapodi
<figure...@canada.com> wrote:
>I too was at this show.I wasn't so fortunate to get on ice seats and passes to
>the reception.I was in like the 18 row or something close to that in Section
>12.
> I was the first one standing after Brian Orser's "Dear Father" program =) I
>knew that one would get a Standing Ovation.It was the first Standing O of the
>night.I mean where practicaly everyone stands.
Great. That should make up for my minor disappointment that we're not
getting a new version of "Crying." :-( What costume did he wear? They owe
him a new costume, don't they? The one he's been wearing was from the Bach
a couple of years ago--he DESERVES a new costume for this!
And damn, what was "Root Beer and Licorice" like?????????? If I can't
count on a fellow Endorser to tell me, who CAN I count on? :-)
[snip]
Wish I had more advice on how to get to Brian, but aside from trying the
hotel...
Anyway, an aside to Ruth(?): Josee's song is in English, not French.
Unfortunately, because it's sung soprano, the wonderful lyrics (without
hearing them it's not half the fun) tend to get swallowed up by arena
acoustics. It's really too bad that Josee seems to be coming up with great
numbers in which the effectiveness of the whole thing depends on whether
you can hear the words--and a lot of the time, you can't! :-(
Trudi
Suenmark98
>
>Jennifer"
>I too was at this show.
>I
>knew that one would get a Standing Ovation.It was the first Standing O of the
>night.
new number? What did he wear? How did it go over with the audience? Come on
Jen...Give us the scoop..
>So I missed Brian again.I would do anything to meet
>him.I wished so much that I had passes to the reception.Oh well...maybe next
>year.
> If anyone has any ideas I would be SOOooo Greatful!! Thanks alot!
Sorry you missed meeting Brian..I've usually had success at the hotel...but at
least you got to see the show!
Aside to Ruth Bailey: Thanks for the review: It sounds like you had a great
time
Sue
Sheila Nystoruk
Ruth Bailey wrote in message ...
>
Thanks for the great review!! I can hardly wait for the 25th. I have
third row seats, just off centre ice for the Calgary show at the Saddledome.
Sheila
Susan
>
<snip>
>
> And damn, what was "Root Beer and Licorice" like?????????? If I can't
> count on a fellow Endorser to tell me, who CAN I count on? :-)
>
> [snip]
>
> Trudi
Hi Trudi,
"Root Beer & Licorice" is a swing song done by a band from Halifax
called the "Johnny Favourite Swing Orchistra"
They're very popular here in the Maritimes and are starting to get
"noticed" elsewhere but I'm not sure what label they are with. I wish I
could be of more help...all I can add is that it is a really catchy song
and great for dancing!
Susan
Blenda
(in no particular order):
>Rootbeer and Licorice (Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra) - Brian
>Orser (Lori Nichol)
Sorry, Trudi and other Orser fans, I can't remember that much about
this piece except that I thought "Brian does jazzy extremely well".
There was a part in the middle that seemed to slow down a lot (not the
music, but the speed of his skating). I wasn't sure whether it was
the choreography or whether Brian was taking a bit of a rest...
Anyway, overall it was an enjoyable program.
>Hotel California (The Eagles)- Shae and Vic (N Dubova, Shae, Vic)
> This program is also some thing I haven't seen before. It is
>very smooth and I like it better than the tecno pop number in Act
>II, which is also new.
I like B&K, but the choreography in the Hotel California number left a
lot to be desired. There were too many moves that were lifted from
their waltz OD. And they seemed to ignore the dark theme completely -
I mean, it's not exactly a cheerful happy song, no?
>Tango Malaguena (Ernesto Lecuona) Tara and Kurt (Christopher Dean)
> This was the highlight of the show for me. Kurt and Tara doing
>a dance routine with lifts etc. It was lovely and smooth and very
>different from what you normally see from them. I talked to Kurt
>about this at the reception and he said "we nearly pulled it off,
>neither of us had done anything like this before" I didn't see any
>problem but I guess he thought there was one.
I thought it looked like there was a lift at the end which didn't
quite come off. Maybe that's what Kurt was talking about. I liked
this number. Kurt and Tara skated well together... I was particularly
impressed with one of the SBS jumps (double or triple salchow, I
think??) where they took off in perfect sync. They weren't quite as
perfectly in sync on the landing, but it was impressive nonetheless.
My mom said, "They're better than a lot of pairs!"
More comments on Tara: I haven't been impressed with Tara's musical
expressiveness to date, but she did pretty well in the number with
Kurt and in her clown solo. Maybe Dean's choreography suits her, or
maybe he's given her a bit more coaching in how to do the moves. I
have to say I didn't care for "I Could Have Danced All Night". It
seemed to me that Tara was rushing through the moves, not extending
them fully. And there's something about the program that seems kind
of juvenile. "Second Element" is better, but Tara needs to do
something about those arms! I think if she could learn to initiate
her arm movements from back (or her center) instead of from her
shoulder, they might look a little less "pasted-on".
General comments about crowd response: Although the crowd was pretty
good about applauding for everyone, Kurt and Shae and Vic got *huge*
amounts of applause whenever they appeared. (Halifax is definitely B&K
territory!) Tara got a very warm response as well.
All in all, an enjoyable evening, although I think that last year's
SOI was better. And I could have done without the 15-minute standing
in line for the bathroom! or the 20-minute wait to get out of the
parking garage...
--------------------------------------------------------------
~ blenda ~
blen...@hotmail.com
adood...@my-dejanews.com
> >Tango Malaguena (Ernesto Lecuona) Tara and Kurt (Christopher Dean)
> > This was the highlight of the show for me. Kurt and Tara doing
> >a dance routine with lifts etc. It was lovely and smooth and very
> >different from what you normally see from them. I talked to Kurt
> >about this at the reception and he said "we nearly pulled it off,
> >neither of us had done anything like this before" I didn't see any
> >problem but I guess he thought there was one.
Is this the program Kurt and Tara did on Tara's special? I only watched the
special to see Kurt and I thought there program was the best thing in it.
Doodle Lady
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Jennifer
looked like jeans with it.I too thnik he should get a new costume for it and I
liked the other pants better than the jeans.I would have tried the Hotel but
didn't know what hotel they would be staying in.Plus I had to get out of
Halifax before dark so I could find my way out.
Trudi Marrapodi <marr...@binghamton.edu> wrote in article
<marrapodi-120...@128.226.35.246>...
> In article <01be84df$feffc120$403c...@thomasd.Default>, "Jennifer"
> <figure...@canada.com> wrote:
>
> >I too was at this show.I wasn't so fortunate to get on ice seats and passes
to
> >the reception.I was in like the 18 row or something close to that in Section
> >12.
> > I was the first one standing after Brian Orser's "Dear Father" program =)
I
> >knew that one would get a Standing Ovation.It was the first Standing O of
the
> >night.I mean where practicaly everyone stands.
>
> Great. That should make up for my minor disappointment that we're not
> getting a new version of "Crying." :-( What costume did he wear? They owe
> him a new costume, don't they? The one he's been wearing was from the Bach
> a couple of years ago--he DESERVES a new costume for this!
>
> And damn, what was "Root Beer and Licorice" like?????????? If I can't
> count on a fellow Endorser to tell me, who CAN I count on? :-)
>
> [snip]
>
Jennifer
couldn't keep her up there for more than a second at a time so I think they
just decided to move on and forget about that =)
Yes,there SBS was a triple salchow.I think they were in perfect unison.
I remember thinking,"They should try a triple sal" after their first SBS jump
which wasn't nearly as good.I think Tara's salchow is one of her best jumps.I
think she does that better than anyone.It was a very nice program.I enjoyed
it.Although Tara's costume seemed a bit tight.My sister thought so too.
Blenda <blen...@hotmail.com> wrote in article
<37127fba....@news.dal.ca>...
> Thanks for the review, Ruth! Just a few additional comments from me
> (in no particular order):
>
> >Rootbeer and Licorice (Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra) - Brian
> >Orser (Lori Nichol)
>
> Sorry, Trudi and other Orser fans, I can't remember that much about
> this piece except that I thought "Brian does jazzy extremely well".
> There was a part in the middle that seemed to slow down a lot (not the
> music, but the speed of his skating). I wasn't sure whether it was
> the choreography or whether Brian was taking a bit of a rest...
> Anyway, overall it was an enjoyable program.
>
> >Hotel California (The Eagles)- Shae and Vic (N Dubova, Shae, Vic)
> > This program is also some thing I haven't seen before. It is
> >very smooth and I like it better than the tecno pop number in Act
> >II, which is also new.
>
> I like B&K, but the choreography in the Hotel California number left a
> lot to be desired. There were too many moves that were lifted from
> their waltz OD. And they seemed to ignore the dark theme completely -
> I mean, it's not exactly a cheerful happy song, no?
>
> >Tango Malaguena (Ernesto Lecuona) Tara and Kurt (Christopher Dean)
> > This was the highlight of the show for me. Kurt and Tara doing
> >a dance routine with lifts etc. It was lovely and smooth and very
> >different from what you normally see from them. I talked to Kurt
> >about this at the reception and he said "we nearly pulled it off,
> >neither of us had done anything like this before" I didn't see any
> >problem but I guess he thought there was one.
>
Ruth Bailey
>
> [snip]
>
> Wish I had more advice on how to get to Brian, but aside from trying the
> hotel...
>
> Anyway, an aside to Ruth(?): Josee's song is in English, not French.
> Unfortunately, because it's sung soprano, the wonderful lyrics (without
> hearing them it's not half the fun) tend to get swallowed up by arena
> acoustics. It's really too bad that Josee seems to be coming up with great
> numbers in which the effectiveness of the whole thing depends on whether
> you can hear the words--and a lot of the time, you can't! :-(
>
> Trudi
>
The sound system at the Metro Centre is very good and I could hear
Josee's song. What I didn't hear clearly and thought was French was what
Josee said as she fell and slid towards me. I suspect she said "merde" as
it was short and the tone of voice suggest swearing.
Trudi Marrapodi
<Pine.GSO.3.95.iB1.0.990...@halifax.chebucto.ns.ca>,
Ruth Bailey <ac...@chebucto.ns.ca> wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
>> Wish I had more advice on how to get to Brian, but aside from trying the
>> hotel...
>>
>> Anyway, an aside to Ruth(?): Josee's song is in English, not French.
>> Unfortunately, because it's sung soprano, the wonderful lyrics (without
>> hearing them it's not half the fun) tend to get swallowed up by arena
>> acoustics. It's really too bad that Josee seems to be coming up with great
>> numbers in which the effectiveness of the whole thing depends on whether
>> you can hear the words--and a lot of the time, you can't! :-(
>>
>> Trudi
>>
>The sound system at the Metro Centre is very good and I could hear
>Josee's song.
Lucky you. It was harder at Air Canada Centre.
>What I didn't hear clearly and thought was French was what
>Josee said as she fell and slid towards me. I suspect she said "merde" as
>it was short and the tone of voice suggest swearing.
Uh-oh. Another called audible!
Trudi