ent000814-028

44 L+ + THE NEW YORK TIMES, THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 1969 A Cool'Holiday on Ice1 25th Version of Show Moves Into Garden By HOWARD THOMPSON TT'S been said that when ?√ß1 you see one ice show you've seen 'em all. Not so. What could be more cooling on a sticky summer night than a big, beautiful and clean ?╟÷ yes, clean ?╟÷ show spilling out of a dazzling cornucopia onto the Madison Square Garden rink? Yes, "Holiday on Ice" is back in town, celebrating its 25th year, and may it slice ice for 25 more. The show that opened last night and will run through Sept. 14 is a joy, brightening the vast maw of the Garden like a swirling, rainbow-hued whirlpool. So what if the format is essentially the same? Again, the revue format simply strings out a series of sumptuously lavish production numbers, pegged on various locales and holidays. Stir well, for ice cubes drop in some comedy routines, and you have what still amounts to a long, cool, satisfying diversion that the whole family can enjoy. Many families were there, in the large audience, and the real worth of the package could be .measured in the expressions of the children, many leaning forward with shining eyes. For that sight alone, thank you, "Holiday on Ice" and Madison Square Garden. ?╟≤ Old-timers at ice revues are advised to keep one eye on the skating, the other on the show's real lubricant. This is the extraordinarily subtle and skillful lighting, credited to Dorothy Morris, so effective that it's hardy noticeable except in the splashier numbers. At the far end of the ice rectangle is a rink-level curtained stage. The orchestra?╟÷ a good one conducted by pen Stabler and not amplified to split the audience's ears?╟÷is perched nearby. And out the . skaters glide for a kind of happy birthday opening to themselves ?╟÷ and why not? This one aptly gleamed silver, from the costumes to the rink itself, glowing from four huge candlelabra. And it introduced four of the skating- marvel specialists who make up the wizardry backbone of each "Holiday" package. The four were Grete Borgen, Marei Langenbein, Alice Quessy and Ray Balmer. Of the three most effective spectacles, one was a glittering tableau of Old Rome with idens and warriors Grete Borgen The Cast HOLIDAY ON ICE, an ice revue. Created, staged and directed by Donn Arden; production director, John Finley; musical director and arranger, Ben Stabler; costumes by Freddy Wittop; setting by Glenn Holse; lighting by Dorothy Morris; arrangements by Ivan Lane, Phil Moody and Ben Stabler. Presented by Madison Square Garden Productions, Inc., Morris Chalfen, executive producer. At Madison Square Garden, 4 Pennsylvania Plaza. PRINCIPALS: Ronnie Robertson, Marei Langenbein, Ray Balmer, Alice Quessy, Tommy Allen and Juanita percelly, the Cook Family, Grete Borgen, Paul Andre, Alfredo Mendoza, Muller's Chimpanzees, Kossmayer's Mules, Johnny Leech, John Ladue. choreographed by the veteran "Holiday on Ice" kingpin, Donn Arden, who created, staged and directed the whole project. Miss Borgen's blades flash saucily as "The Girl From Ipanema," and on again comes Mr. Balmer for a knockout solo. There is a pink-trimmed Valentine number, a rather cute and stately minuet-jamboree with some hippie animal disguises (personally we favored the cockeyed moose), a Halloween number that works pretty well and a good, if unsensational Fourth of July tribute, very compactly devised. ?╟≤ The humor is nice, unsurprising and pitched at rink level. Alfredo Mendoza and John Ladue, inside a large dog's costume, make a four- legged hangover seem funnier than it should. Later Mr. Mendoza does an amazingly supple Spanish pas de deux with Darolyn Prior that erupts into a comedy rough- and-tumble with a "policeman" who blunders on 4hfl~ Yjrt -yLrfwh meowed ioofif sz -h sjjjbw \% 08 SHUVWIS 08'V3H1 ?√ß Ittmumo momtsm ISI86-Z86* '3AV PU2? JS MJ2I *V3Hi N303 AiNOS33N3ianv aumvw ?╜Qi sA^Dyy ty sjqo/iDAy os/y niZ-t&L \Z\Z\ IPO suoudoot joj *t9UnO P.yj0(:iHBl9N uojj93(3/2 i?? s<95P.'l V:.%V--\:^ ?√ß;,.. :,.;-. -.-:. S: -vc--; Two "V. on the By RICHARD WATTS Jr. Aisle CO O Cu. O >- LU z 'Holiday on Ice of 1970" The skating revue. Presented by Madison Square Garden Productions. Directed by Donn Arden. Costumes by Freddy Wittop. Performers included Marei Langenbein, Ray Balmer, Alice Quessy, Tommy Allen, Juanita Percelly, the Cook Family, Grete Borgen, Paul Andre, Alfredo Mendoza, Johnny Leech, John Ladue, Muller's champanzees and Kossmayer's mules. The Skaters Are With Us Again At this time in your life and mine, what is there new that I can tell you about a skating revue? Doubtful of my ability to say anything novel on the subject, I can at least report that "Holiday o?? Ice of 1970" opened last night at the new Madison Square Garden, that the performers, human and animal, continue to be highly talented in their line, that everything moved along at the usual rapid pace, and that the show obviously gratified its large and admiring audience. It is announced as the Silver Anniversary Edition, and, at the end of the first half, there was a little celebration in honor of the 25th birthday. A large cake was brought out on the ice, and a girl skater ceremoniously presented a piece to one of the show's founding fathers. He seemed gratified, but rather disappointed some of the spectators by failing to kiss her. The Ingredients Otherwise there was nothing unexpected, and why should there have been, when the assembled skating fans are so clearly satisfied by the familiar tried-and-true product? The pleasant ingredients have served well for all these years, and there is something cheering in the sight of comfortable stability in a changing and chaotic world. And the boys and girls certainly know how to skate. There are the elaborate and colorfully clad production numbers skated to the tunes from popular old musical comedies, this time including an interlude in which the performers are shown as classic Romans. As an obligatory number, there is a salute to the Easter Parade, St. Valentine's Day gets into the act, and the animal king dom is represented by three chimpanzees and some trained mules. Comic Dog The clowns are, of course, on hand, though they have given up the hollow pretense of being inept skaters. Everyone would be disappointed if there wasn't the impersonation of a comic dog, and here Alfredo Mendoza and John Ladue fill the bill. They make an entertaining canine, but I preferred the agile and humorous chimpanzees trained by Werner and Denise Muller. The small children of Cal and Dori Cook are among the brightest of the evening's features. The show suffered what I hope will be a temporary misfortune last night in the absence of Ronnie Robertson, the Fred Astaire of the ice, who had an accident during a rehearsal. It seems almost incredible that such a marvel of grace and agility could be a victim of even a slight mishap while practicing his art, and he is gravely missed. Meanwhile, the skaters are properly efficient, and the girls look pretty when they stop long enough for you to see them.