The dazzling Russian Ice Stars glide back into town on February 18, when Wild Rose production company present two brand new shows at Fairfield Concert Hall.

The exciting Sensational Ice will feature highlights from a decade of ice shows, and The Nutcracker on Ice is a glittering interpretation of this much loved fairy story that has been so popular as a ballet.

Some of the finest skaters in the world, all of whom have competed and won at international and Olympic level, will be dazzling you with their breathtaking skills and acrobatics.

Sensational Ice presents routines from the many successful productions staged by Wild Rose. Cinderella, Peter Pan, Phantom of the Opera and Barnum on Ice excerpts will be on the programme.

Producer Vee Deplidge is the force behind this marvellous theatre on ice, assisted very capably by artistic director Tony Mercer.

Tony is looking forward to returning to Croydon.

"Fairfield is always a favourite venue for us," he said, "and this show will really wow our audiences once again!"

The double bill gives the performers a chance to really display their talents, and if you have seen the shows before you may wonder where on earth they find so many excellent stars. It's one thing to find top notch skaters, but then you have to add acrobatic and acting skills. Tony explained how they recruit.

"We go to Moscow and hold auditions at an ice arena. We always have many hopeful applicants, you'd be amazed at how many perfect Torvill and Deans there are out there! We have to look not just for good skaters but for performers who have that little bit extra. It's not just a ballet on ice, it's theatre, and we need ice dancers who can understand a role and put a character inside the skater.

"For this tour we had a surprise find'. At the auditions last March we were looking at about 60 skaters one day, and in a back corner of the rink we noticed a girl demonstrating all the disciplines for a gymnastic routine hula hoop, ball, tapes etc she was so supple and

flexible, but could not skate very well.

It was the gold medal gymnast from the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Oulia Barsoukova.

She was very modest about all her medals but we wanted to transfer her huge flexibility and grace to the ice. We told her we would invest the time in her and coach her to be a better skater.

"She has enabled us to include some new techniques and some amazing lifts, perfect for when The Nutcracker doll comes to life. She's worth the price of a ticket alone!"

For this tenth anniversary tour Wild Rose have a new, improved ice floor. It is still a huge undertaking and a major operation to set up on tour.

"It's a well rehearsed procedure, but it can get a bit hairy sometimes," Tony admitted.

What goes on behind the scenes is almost as spectacular as the action on the ice stage.

It is real ice, about 14 tons of it, four inches thick, set up on top of a network of one and a quarter miles of pipework.

The task is a precise one and the pipes are the key to successful freezing. Once the deep freeze has been achieved the process is carefully monitored throughout the length of the tour stop.

The size of the rink is 12meters square, and the thrill of the shows hinges on the breathtaking leaps, spins and lifts that are executed at speed in such a small space.

Each year Wild Rose push the boundaries of ice theatre further, this year is no exception. The shows start on Tuesday, February 18, and run until Saturday, February 22.

Performances are at 7.30pm each night, with matinees at 2.30pm on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Ticket prices range from £10 to £23.50. To book and for performance details call the Fairfield box office on 020 8688 9291.

January 29, 2003 13:30