REVIEW
Plymouth Pavilions
How do you keep four sophisticated nine-year-old girls, still in the flush of Christmas excitement, amused for a couple of hours on a wet afternoon? Easy peasy, take them along to the spectacle that is Cinderella on Ice at the Plymouth Pavilions.
Captivated by a charming rendition of the well-loved fairytale, they were enthralled as the cast of Russian Ice Stars glided, twirled and soared over a frozen stage.
I am no Jayne Torvill but even to my untrained eye it seemed that performing such impressive moves in a confined space required a special degree of skill.
This is a ballet on skates with a stirring score and swift costume changes providing a refreshing alternative seasonal entertainment.
There is humour, romance and the inevitable happy ending with the usual sprinkling of magic along the way.
A dainty, almost waif-like Cinderella was enchanting as she deftly executed breath-taking moves and was hoisted aloft by her handsome prince.
As midnight chimed, ingeniously portrayed by a supporting cast dressed to represent the cogs of a clock, the beautiful princess dashes off into the night exposing perhaps the one flaw of the production.
How do you transform a large skating boot into a dainty glass slipper? The answer, of course, is that you don't. You just hold up the boot and rely on the audience to use their imagination.
A script which takes the prince on a tour around the world in search of his missing mystery partner allows for some Spanish, Egyptian and Russian dancing.
And it wasn't just my group of little girls who loved every moment. An audience of both sexes and every age group gave this talented troupe of Eastern Europeans a well-deserved rapturous reception.
DENISE O'LEARY