By Leodini
I brought my whole family to Araneta Coliseum last night to watch the last-day performance of Magic on Ice. Surprise, surprise! The show gets an extended run until January 6.
The show is worthy of Las Vegas—glitzy, theatrical, lots of beautiful girls in skimpy costumes, spectacular magical illusions, and magnificent plays of lights. (More of this later.)
The show is a synthesis of ice skating and magic, featuring dazzling performances on ice and stunning illusions. (I lost count how many big illusions they performed but I think they did close to a dozen. If you are a magic fan, you will have more than an eyeful.)
As someone who dabbles in directing theatrical magic shows, I went to see Magic on Ice with an eye to learn directorial techniques from a world-class production. Here is my take of the show:
No MC – the show employs continuous music, with the set performances coming one after the other without announcements or introductions. (IMC have been employing the no MC, no hosts staging since 2007, but the way Magic on Ice pulls it off is just light years ahead of us.)
No backdrops –With the whole skating rink as the stage, there are no backdrops, not even spider backdrops, the go-to stage scenery of most local magic productions. Yeah, I know, and yeah, I get it. It’s the budget thing.
No curtains – when we at IMC employ the no MC/no hosts method of presentation, we rely on the opening and closing of the stage curtains to carry out transitions between acts. Magic on Ice employs no curtains. Only lights. The dozens of lights are the backdrop. They also serve as the curtains.
What they do in the opening sequence is stunning. First, I see the empty skating rink. The lights beam toward the ceiling, thin mists creep on the performing area. Suddenly the lights beam down to reveal the previously empty skating rink filled with dancers. That sequence just blows me away. What a stylish way to make the cast magically appear…
No stagehands – you heard me right. No stagehands. The performers and dancers (not stage crew) change set pieces and move illusions around the skating rink, or in and out of play. The choreographed way they do it makes the changes seamless and imperceptible.
The show starts on time – I’ve always preached promptness for starting a show. Making the audience wait for one hour or more for the show to start is not entertaining. But Philippine magic shows always start late…up to two hours late. Since somebody has yet to listen to me on this issue, it was a breath of cold ice to watch Magic on Ice start on time. My ticket says the show starts at 6 pm, and it does. By 8 pm (not 11 pm or 12 midnight), we are exiting Araneta Coliseum on our way home.
My recommendation: if you love theater, music, exquisite figure skating, awesome lights display, spectacular magical illusions, go watch Magic on Ice. It is a worthwhile way to spend an evening.
Stay magical,
Leodini