Hot Ice, Utopian
Pleasure Beach Arena, Blackpool
4th July to 7thSept 2019
“Hot Ice, the most stunning ice show that you will ever witness, is back for the 2019 season with an amazing new production – Utopian.
Hot Ice is an amazing show that is brought to life by the stunning lighting that reflects the mood and magnificence of each scene. The skaters are hand picked to work within this unique company, and gracefully slide and glide into a world of creative paradise with intricate choreography performed to beautifully written music conceived and inspired by the greatest soundtracks to our lives. The costumes are sewn into a symphony of colours that sparkle perfectly as the most beautiful stones are all hand sewn onto sumptuous fabrics to create stylish and chic designs unique to this production.
This year, expect the usual glitz and glamour as a cast of amazing, international ice stars put on a show designed to thrill audiences while reflecting on the history of this great show. After over 80 years of amazing performances, Hot Ice is still a show that has the ability to thrill and delight.”
Bookings Link: Click here
Review by Richard Lambert, 4 Stars
Hot Ice, the most stunning ice show ever created, has opened for its 2019 season at the Pleasure Beach Arena in Blackpool! A spectacular high energy fast paced show more thrilling than the roller coasters surrounding the Arena.
With an unrelenting dramatic 1st half, Director and Producer Amanda Thompson OBE is testing how much adrenaline you could actually give an audience. Triple after triple jumps from the boys, dazzling spins, back-flips (always a crowd-pleaser), all performed at break-neck speed by professional skaters from all around the World.
This isn’t wobbly Dancing on Ice – this is the real deal!
A huge lighting rig, smoke, haze, flames, snow, bubbles, mist, water drop, video – it’s all in there! Cued and sync’d to perfection!
The ice surface, always immaculately maintained, the perfect canvas to project images, patterns, and colour washes. With punchy areas highlighting the skater’s when they occasionally stop for a dramatic moment. This show is in the hands of theatrical experts.
The quality of the skating is second to none. Ice skating is such a unique sport. Very few sports are judged on not only what you do, but how you do it. Gymnastics, Trampolining and Diving come to mind. But with skating you also add in dramatic projection, musical interpretation, rhythm, and timing and many more performance skills. It’s a unique sport. And it’s the only sport that’s enjoyed a sustainable existance beyond the competitive field as an entertainment medium.
“Uptopian” is packed full of choreographic content (Oula Jaaskelainen). Each number is stand-out in it’s own right. Occasionally though the story within each number may require a little searching and there’s no over-arching general theme that binds the entire production together. “Utopia” is a desire for perfection – but this could be applied to any production, and feels a little disconnected when the show is very slightly disjointed.
A very large cast of 32 from around the World including from the UK James Horrocks, Sophia Jones and (local Blackpool lad) Matthew Fogg. This is probably the largest cast in any current ice show in the World!
The stand-out number is the finale of Act 1, a new rendition of Swan Lake which includes Swan-feather leggings for the boys and traditional Swan Lake costumes for the girls. Powerful and beautiful, the strength of the swan emulated by the power of the boys’ skating.
The cast are incredible, but it isn’t easy to transfer from competitive ice skating to professional performance. They’re all so impressive on the ice, but their lack of experience shows a little when they promenade within the audience and can’t quite project their performance at close range, or in some cases find their lights. On the ice, some of the intersection splices and block formation shapes were a little free-form. It’s a very brave producer who has Press Night the same night as Opening Night – and with such a new cast this gamble hasn’t quite paid off.
Once this show settles it will be absolutely Utopian! Definitely coming back in a few weeks to see it again!
Hot Ice remains the most stunning ice show in the World!
Further Information
This year’s Hot Ice show, Utopian, runs from July 4th to September 7th.
For more information, or to book, visit www.blackpoolpleasurebeach.com/shows or call the box office on 0871 222 9090. Please note calls to 0871 numbers cost 13p per minute plus your telephone company’s access charge.
