Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, April 5, 1990 TAG: 9004041323
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By TRACIE FELLERS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Walt Disney's Magic Kingdom on Ice, starring Pinocchio, opened at the Roanoke Civic Center to an audience of 6,287. The show runs through Sunday.
The show tells the story of Pinocchio's creation by the kindly woodcarver Geppetto and follows the puppet's mishaps and adventures until the happy ending, when Pinocchio becomes a real boy.
Along the way, the show, which lasts about two hours, has something for everyone. The antics of the Disney characters - especially Goofy, who was . . . well, goofy - got lots of giggles from the children in the audience.
The appearance of Monstro the whale during the underwater scene, when Pinocchio searches for Geppetto, seemed to awe most kids. When the sinister whale moved slowly across the ice, blowing what appeared to be steam out of its spout, the most-heard response from the young ones was an impressed " whoa."
The entire show featured elaborate, colorful and detailed costumes and props, but perhaps the most eye-catching ones were in two scenes: Stromboli's Carnival and the underwater adventure. Stromboli's Carnival featured fantastic costumes, ranging from a jester's to a snake charmer's. A purple dancing horse with white spots and a white sequined blanket was one of the most whimsical carnival attractions.
The underwater scene featured skating lobsters, starfish, a purple and green lizard, and a prop/costume combination that made female skaters appear to be mermaids riding on the backs of sea horses.
For ice skating fans, the show featured strong skating from Grant Noroyan as Pinocchio, Kristiina Wegelius as the Blue Fairy, pairs team Eric Kerr and Toyka Raol and Christel Bailey who performed a solo as a gypsy in Stromboli's carnival.
Kerr and Raol's routine in the underwater scene, in which they portrayed amorous goldfish, was especially memorable. The pair's lifts and a well-executed death spiral drew applause and murmurs of delight from both adults and children.
After the Blue Fairy granted Geppetto's wish by turning Pinocchio into a real boy, Wegelius skated a beautiful, graceful routine. When the spotlights bathed her in blue and white lights that resembled stars, kids in the audience oohed and aahed.
But the Jackpots - an ice comedy trio whose highjinks remind one of the Three Stooges - really stole the show. Steve Bobola, Kevin "Macky" McDonald and Rob Rowntree, who hail from Blackpool, England, got a lot of well-deserved laughs from the entire audience.
In the course of a couple of their stunts, the Jackpots splashed water on the folks in the good seats - but they were all laughing too hard to mind.
by CNB