FOR THOSE who have made it a holiday tradition to watch skating shows during the Christmas season, they will find that this year they can watch one show which combines magic, acrobatics, and figure skating.
The show — Steve Wheeler’s Magic on Ice — opened on Christmas Day at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, and has performances until Jan. 1.
The US touring production has entertained “millions of viewers” in the continental US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia since it started more than 15 years ago.
“[The show] is a fusion of art forms,” Mr. Wheeler, the show’s producer and resident magician, told the press on Dec. 20 at the Novotel Araneta Center.
Mr. Wheeler shared that he started performing magic when he was very young (“around nine or 10 years old”) and around the time he was playing ice hockey.
“Then as a teenager, I got the idea, well, why don’t I take the magic that I have and combine it with my love for the ice and big productions and create something that’s never been done before? That’s the start of Magic On Ice,” he explained.
The show, which has toured more than 200 cities including Seoul and Abu Dhabi, started as a 10-minute act and was a part of another show. In the beginning there were six people in the act, then “it grew and grew, and just became bigger and bigger,” he said.
Now, the show is one-and-a-half-hours long and features a company of 21 performers including Mr. Wheeler’s wife, Tracey Wheeler (who also serves as one of the show’s producers), and Estonian champion and four-time Olympian Maria Sergejeva on ice.
It will also showcase 23 different acts, from grand illusions to skating numbers.
Aside from breathtaking magical performances and the beauty of figure skating, Mr. Wheeler said they also put in a lot of effort to involve the audiences in the show itself.
“At one part of the show, we’re going to invite children to come up on stage and perform with us,” he said.
“It’s not a kids show but the kids love it [likely because] kids have a fascination with magic,” he added.
The Magic on Ice team spends four months preparing for the show, a feat that seasoned lighting director Emilio Morgia (who did the lighting for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino) said is unheard of in the industry.
“In other shows we only spend weeks preparing,” he said.
Also joining the technical team are John Fox (director), Glenn Grayson (music director), and Tim Clothier (illusion and scenic).
Steve Wheeler’s Magic on Ice runs until Jan. 1 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Tickets are available at www.ticketnet.com.ph or call 911-5555 for more information. Ticket prices range from P190 (General Admission) to P2,335 (VIP). — Zsarlene B. Chua
