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60 VAUDEVILLE Ml<UHUiMI"i M Anni Edition of Holiday on Ice A Colorful Spectacular at N.Y. Garden By LEONARD tTRAXJBE Every ice show by definition Is a spectacle in one degree or another. This, the 25th anniversary edition of "Holiday on Ice," does right by the species as a splendiferous sight show a?╜id has added assets in the virtuosity of its principal performers, in the ensemble productions, and in the fun-&-froth department. A couple of- the cir- cusy animal acts manage to just about steal the show at the points where they take over ?╟÷ but that's par for the ice course when such turns consist of first-grade non- human performers, as the '69 edition does. The veteran Donn Arden, who staged and directed, has done a highly polished and imaginative ?oh in forging a frappe entry hat plays remarkably well considering the multiplicity of elements that icers are composed of by tradition and competitive practice. The key words are color, some great splashes of beauty, nif- tily realized sets and props, and solo and paired turns that hit the mark. To be sure, a few of the dozen or so all-arena production numbers may seem to unfold scenes that have a basic,similarity despite such artifices as themes and costumes, and some of the scenes are a bit nightclubby; but nearly all of them come off from good to climactic ?╟÷ and in the sum of its parts, pleasurable. The principals work the arena either by themselves, soloed or paired, or are spotted in the productions as- a sort of "reprise'* of their specialties, enhanced by cos^ tume changes appropriate to the theme. Among the top pairings are Tommy Allen- & Juanita Percelly (Mr. and Mrs.), Alice Quessy & Holiday on lee Madison Square Garden Productions presents 25th edition of ice show; created, staged and directed by Donn Arden; Morris Chalfen, executive producer; John Finley, production director; costumes, Freddy Wittop; musical director, Ben Stabler; arrangements, Ivan Lane, Phil Moody, Stabler; scenery, Glenn Holse; lighting, Dorothy Morris; assistants to Arden, Carl Jablonski, Larry Maldonado, John Farris, Anne Schmidt. With Ronnie Robertson, Marei Langenbein, Ray Balmer, Alice Quessy, Tommy Allen, Grete Borgen, Juanita Percelly, Alfredo Mendoza, Darolyn Prior, John Ladue, Cook .Family,'Mullet* s Chimps, Carol Johnson, Paul Andre, Johnny Leech, Kossmayer's Mules, Glamour-leers, Ice-Squires, Holiday on Ice Orch. Opened Aug. 27, '69 at Madison Square Garden, N.Y.; $7.50 top. Ray Balmer; Alfredo Mendoza & Darolyn Prior in a pas de deux with comedy interpolations; and familiar faces in the groupings are the Cook Family consisting pf parents Cal and Dori and siblings Kim (a real cutiepie), Kris and Kelly. Other tandems are of a different sort, such as Paul Andre & Johnny Leech in a hilarious Cleopatra & Antony caper that has an eccentric bathtub for the snapper; and that twain in a later trick auto sequence as "Those Chicken Delites,"' which contains some com- edic truth amid the thematic poultry. There's also Alfredo Mendoza and John Ladue as the front and back ends of a prop houn' dawg that has its funny moments. Of the soloists, the established young star Ronnie Robertson was apparently not feeling well, as he was missing from some of his scheduled stanzas, but he still managed to score with giant leaps and swift spins, as Pagliacci in a "salute to operas" number with a backdrop of featured skaters. For other soloist focus, there was brilliant blade work from Marei Langenbein, the superbly masculine Ray Balmer, Grete Borgen, Alice Quessy, Juanita Percelly, et al. After the operatic bits, Werner and Denise Muller provided a sharp change of pace and mood with their trio of aggressive chimps cavorting on the skates in whammo ice hockey and horse- style jumps over hurdles. This is strictly a comedy knockout of the bellringing variety. And at the pre- finale of the show, another click was Kossmayer's Mules, with two of the stubborn animals positioned in a circus-type ring knocking off some "planted" mounts as well as civilians ?╟÷ poor fellows ?╟÷ recruited from the audience. The production numbers virtually spanned the calendar and "Holidays/' with a St. Valentine's Day inning, an ode to spring with the Cook Family, a mod-like April Fools bit, the inevitable "Easter *Mmm Wednesday, September 3, 196$ Item* tn4epf thence Da/, HaBo- ffirfetmM, "Holiday la Eta* and *rIWaft Holiday/* the latter two among the most dazzling in thel entire layout. #red# Wittop*s costumes, Glenn IJolse's scenery, the lighting of Dorothy Morris and, as topper oh the icing, the batoning by old reliable Ben Stabler were outstanding, as was the ensemble bladestering of the girl and boy lines, the Glamour-leers and the Ice-Squires. Show runs to Sept. 14, with 19 performances. 'Holiday on Ice?╟÷25-Year Recap The review files, of Variety contain some three dozen listings of "Holiday on Ice" packages as caught by staffers and correspondents in the U.S. and abroad, the latter including Paris, Zurich (twice), Berlin (twice), Frankfurt, Rome and.Tokyo. The first to pop up was out of the Coliseum in Chicago, October 1945, when the presentation was by Calvin and Emery Gilbert and W. Carl Snyder. In that connection, the printed program for this year's silver anniversary tour (see accompanying review) has an introduction by longtime ice impresario Morris Chalfen. He salutes "all the people who have contributed to its steady progress?╟÷the late Emery Gilbert, George Tyson and Carl Snyder . . . Angela Gilbert and Ruth Tyson ... our executive director, Alvin R. Grant, and our good friend and counselor, Irving M. Klein, who were with the company since its inception . , ." After 1945 the name of George D. Tyson begins to show up as executive producer, indicating an ownership stake, and later editions bear his credit as well as that of Ruth Tyson as directors. In the early '50s the producer was Russell Markert, long with Radio City Music Hall. In the fall of 1951 Pierre Louis-Guerin presented Chalfen's international edition at the Sports Palace in Paris, with the Tysons listed as artistic producers; and meanwhile, in subsequent years, the U.S. versions were being guided by the Tysons, who also were creating scenes and comedy numbers as time went on, particularly so for the foreign tours. Starting in the mid-'50s, the choreographer and stager for the Tysons was Chester Hale. In those days, Ben Stabler was the conductor, and chore he has been fulfilling since." , The name of another contemporary, Freddy Wittop, shows up in the credits in 1958 as costume designer, and he's still at it in 1969. With the death of her husband, Ruth Tyson rated sole credit as exec producer as the '60s came in, with John Finley as associate producer (now the production director). Chester Hale was still staging. Madison Square Garden Corp. bought the show a few years ago and has been presenting it with Chalfen as the executive producer and president of the subsidiary ice company, with way-back- when Alvin R, Grant as vicepresident. , ?√ß ?╟≤ ' This year's 25th anniversary tour has cued a national and several international editions playing about 300 cities in; 75 countries on six continents. Trau*