Holiday on Ice: Romanza

Published Monday 14 January 2008 at 11:40 by Harry Venning

“Love is the most powerful emotion in the world!” announces an off-stage narrator, his point underlined by the wheeling out of an enormous fibreglass human heart. But then subtlety isn’t a strength of Holiday on Ice: Romanza.

Nor, it has to be said, is narrative. There have to be easier ways to recount love stories from antiquity to the modern day than by describing circles at speed with one leg raised at different levels of elevation.

Spectacle, on the other hand, it does very well indeed. For almost two hours the surprisingly modest sized rink is alive with colour, light and energy that truly amazes and captivates. The company of skaters employed is impressively large, their breathtaking grace and athleticism complimented by no little skill as performers, and all enhanced by endlessly imaginative and delightfully witty choreography, lighting design and costumes. Pyrotechnics, fireworks and some industrial sized party poppers were also thrown in for good measure. Kitsch it may be, but dull it isn’t.

Adam and Eve, Anthony and Cleopatra, Romeo and Juliet, Barbie and Ken. All the great names of romance feature here, with the theme occassionally stretched to include crowdpleasers such as Dracula and Superman- though not as a couple, you understand.

And the crowd at the Brighton Centre was certainly very pleased. Rarely have I been amongst such an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

Guest star Kyron Bracken, winner of ITV’s Dancing On Ice, may have looked sluggish and awkward amongst the professional company he was keeping, but you wouldn’t have known it from the ecstatic reception his every move received. And when the skater playing Lois Lane took a tumble on the ice she was greeted by a spontaneous round of supportive applause.

Cold rink, warm audience, great show.