Albany, April 9, 1998
Stars on Ice was in Albany on Thursday (4/9); the rafters--Scott said at the end of the show it was their biggest Albany audience ever. It was a fantastic show and the crowd was particularly enthusiastic. I was lucky enough to have seen the Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum shows and in my opinion, the Albany show was the best of the three--I don't think there was a single fall or serious bobble the whole night (although a few pops). And the energy level of the opening number was off the scale--a real excitement that built through the entire number.
There was a slight addition to the "Big Enchilada" number: after Cyril Lutz wins and Scott is raving about his performance, he adds "and at the ripe old age of 15 he's off to join the circus!" LOL
Of course Scott Hamilton got a standing ovation the second he stepped onto the ice. He looked very strong--I didn't see any doubles popped into singles. He did at least one triple jump--I believe it was a loop--and I think I saw a second one in his last number. Of course he got a full standing ovation following the Wizard of Oz number. It is a bit gimmicky to my taste but hey, Scott can get away with that. He is the king of the small touches; I love the fact that he bothers to start with a black-and-white "Dorothy vest" and changes it to color when he lands in Oz.
My one and only complaint about the show: not enough Brian Orser. Now I am going to rave no matter what he does, but he was *particularly* wonderful here. There was a real snap and sharpness to his skating tonight, and what lovely, smooth, edges. He doubled one of the triple jumps in "Story of My Life" but hit everything else. He threw in the back flip in the middle (as he did at the Great Skate Debate), which got the crowd going and seemed to feed him throughout the rest of the number. He received great cheers and a partial standing ovation. I have noticed that his camel spins seem to have gained speed and center recently--is this just my imagination? Gushing mode off.
It was not a good axel night for Kurt, although he didn't seem to have much trouble with anything else. The intended triple axel as Cyril Lutz popped into a single, and all of his double axels throughout the evening were a bit wonky. He did hit a huge, textbook double axel at the very end of the finale, and threw his arms straight up in air in victory. It was such a strong reaction that for a second I wondered if it was a triple, but I don't think so. Still, everything else he did was wonderful. I thought the show really showcased his versatility--from slapstick comedian in the Great Enchilada to extremely sexy in the Elvis number (at least in the interactive parts) to just plain cool in Antares. Ah, and those triple loops that just seem to hang there then rotate--so aesthetically pleasing.
Kristi was great as always, just rock solid and very expressive. Watching the Elvis number I thought how good she and Kurt always look together on the ice.
No clean triples from Katia but a very close two-footed triple toe loop. I find the "Preludes" number a bit inaccessible but I appreciate the difficulty--I love that spiral sequence where she covers nearly the entire rink and never touches down the free leg while changing direction, etc. I enjoy her most in the ensemble numbers where her performing quality really shines through.
I confess to loving Sumner's "Sweet Roslyn." She just pumps so much energy into it, and I think this was the best I'd seen her skate it.
I cannot say enough in praise of Bechke and Petrov, so I won't even try. I still miss Hough and Ladret (although it did appear to be Doug as the non-skating muse) and will miss B&P terribly.
I enjoy Roca and Sur's "Time to Say Goodbye" more every time I see it. I found it to be the most emotionally moving performance of the night. Of course the music helps. I don't find their positions at all vulgar, though I'm not sure why. I think that the so-called "crotch shot" positions are so carefully done, interesting, and in character with their programs that they always manage to carry them off. And of course they were hilarious as "Gorky and Park." BTW, I think Renee and Gorsha's addition to the cast, (plus Brian O.'s return and Torvill and Dean's appearance on this part of the tour) elevate this year's cast to "Best Looking Stars on Ice Cast Ever." :-)
I was very aware that this would be, most likely, the last time I would see Paul Wylie skate in person. I have been critical of Paul's recent programs but he is a marvelous skater and I feel very lucky to have been around to see him. I strongly dislike the Sleepers program but determined that this time, I would ignore the music (hard to do because they turned up the bass to the point where it rattled my ribs and made me nauseous) and the overall choreography, which leaves me cold. Instead I concentrated on his elements, positions, etc. He does everything so well--he really has the best split jumps of the pros, I think. So that was a delight. I very much enjoyed "Go the Distance," despite the "music deduction" <g>. He did the triple lutz! The crowd went nuts and he got a huge standing ovation. I very rarely stand up for performances, but I was compelled to do so for Paul if not solely for the performance than for his entire career and the many wonderful skates I have seen. It was nice that the last one I saw was such a good performance.
Torvill and Dean only did one number---the wonderful Tango with the trunk. Excellent as always. I don't know what happened to "Still Crazy After All These Years" but they were with the cast at the end.
Stairway to Heaven was great. I love the quick costume change for Kristi--it's almost like magic and very effective. My only criticism of the finale is there is not a real clear "curtain call" for each individual skater. It would be nice to have a chance to give a little extra cheer for each of them. They all have their little moment but it's not quite "enough." Although I'm sure the long, long, standing ovation, screaming etc., for the whole cast was enough for them!
Still basking in the ol' "skating buzz,"
Sherrill
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