Robin Cousin's ICE

Robin Cousin's ICE is reaching the end of its tour but it was good to get a chance to see it - who knows, it may well tour again. Robin has brought together an international troupe of professional skaters and produced a show that combines their skills, dance, music and staging to thrill and enthrall. So how does it work?

Well, technically it is a challenge to get the ice onto stages like the Hippodrome and I'm glad that they put some notes on how its done in the programme ... ok, that's a bit geeky of me I admit. Artistically it is also a challenge because in proscenium theatre's like the Hippodrome we are seeing end-on a show that would probably work best in the round - in fact, that's sort of how we're used to seeing skaters.

The show, which is in two 40minute halves, is split into "numbers" with names such as "Winterscape" and "Swingtime". Each number is distinct and, whilst the programme often splits a number into sections such as "Breathe", "Captivate" etc there is no real discernable thread. In fact, for me, that is the issue with this show. We are treated to some really great and exciting skating and at any point you are likely to be enjoying yourself, but the show itself has no coherent structure, story or plan and so it feels broken. Thinking back to some recent dance shows such Midnight Tango and you'll see that it deoesn't have to be this way. I was disappointed enough in this to want to give it a 3* but the 4* comes because of some really good content and because I think the next show, if it combined such a skilled cast with a coherent story would be brilliant!

A few highlights for me; Vaughn Chipeur for his tricks and for having such a good rapport with the audience, Michael Solonoski for combining sjating with a lovely singing voice (without sounding out of breathe!) and Brandee Malto for pretty well everything she did (not forgetting her partner who helps her look so good, Neill Shelton) ... as I say, some really good content, plus a couple of slips and falls to remind us that ice needs to be tamed and this stuff is not as easy as they can make it look!

Now here's a bit of irony; an ice dance show in Bristol with Robin Cousin's walking (not skating) on stage to sway how lovely it is to be back at the Hippodrome and yet just behind the theatre, next to the car park, Bristol's ice rink is being trashed to make way for student accommodation. Ahh well, perhaps this is why the audience had trouble deciding when to applaud, they just don't have the experience to decide what is difficult and what is just flashy. Ho Hum .... I am glad that skating seems to be on the rise again but we allowed ourselves to slip massively in an area we were always so good ... and I say that as someone who danced the Cuckoo Waltz on ice on TV at the age of eight ;-)