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Mules Ice Show Hi,r :-No one who. has watched -Ronnie Robertson in b skating act as awesome as it is entertaining can challenge his status as star of "Holiday On ;Ice," yet he is being offered J stiff theatrical competition by ?╟≤ a group 'of chimpanzees and < two mules. ?╟≤ Robertson, admiringly :dubbedri'The Blur" because of ?╟≤ a s p i n n i n g, ability which ^verges on sheer genius, won I the unstinting plaudits of a ^Friday night audience at the "Golfceum witnessing the seasonal? opening of an isterna- ; tionaUy known ice show, but it ?╟≤remained for the chimps and \ the mules to make the rafters I ring with laughter. And this is \ the season for merriment, j -Theiskill, grace and pagean- ?╟≤ try and the fun embodied in ;. "Holiday on Ice" dirrirjg ob- l servance of its silver^aAniver- ?√ß sary proved vocal and visual ^ingredients combined into a ?╟≤ holiday plum pudding of en- "tertainmeht which left a sub- ' stantial but not capacity audi- ?√ß?√ß ence satisifed, enthusiastic. I The show will continue \ through Jan. 4. It is recom- - mended without reservation to " patrons of all ages. If Robertson is, as so flam- boyantly advertised, the best ?√ß skater in the world, then the . skating chimpanzees trained ,by Werner and Denise Muller are the funniest little beasties ever to simulate ?╟÷ and caricature ?╟÷ the antics of humans. The Kossmayer mules, which with agility and acumen toss any male trying to ride them, provide a unique brand of foolishness which may seem incongruous in an ice show, but nevertheless had an enthralled audience rocking on their coliseum chairs and rooting for the animals. Incidentally, the several riders obviously were plants scattered through the audience and "volunteering" to mount the mules. That the riders were as properly trained as the creatures, and were willing to be upstaged, didn't detract from the spectacle; In case you're wondering, the mules weren't on skates. That would be carrying comedy too far. . Raruung high on the comedic content of; "Holiday on Ice" Friday night was the skit "Those Chicken Delites," a travesty featuring Paul Andre and Johnny Leech as the Colonel and the Pearl. The former obviously represented a white-whiskered old gaffer who operates take-out chicken nooks throughout the nation; the other "Minnie Pearl, a bucolic comedienne who also sells fried chicken. They were funny, and a Goldberg -type automobile which variously exploded and .fell apart was even more amusing. And amazing. From the opening extravaganza, titled "A Happy Birthday" and featuring such competent performers as Grete Borgen, Marei Langenbein, Alice Quessy, Ray Balmer and Kris Cook, the first-night show was all that could be desired by even the most exacting ice show devotee. The "White Christmas" finale was a fitting climax to a fast, brilliant pageant per formed by lovely, graceful young women and stalwart young men with metal wings on their feet ?╟÷ or, conversely, a sense of slapstick comedy which particularly delighted the hundreds of children, yet found total acceptance among the adults. The Cook Family, comprising parents and three off- spring with the poise of grownups, presented an act involving comedy, acrobatics and ingenuity. Juanita Percelly and Tommy Allen proved a d"l:g:itful !eam in a harvest moon sequence, and Alfredo Mendoza. and Darolyn Prior lived up to their billing as ."'That Perfect Pair." Although virtually all performers engaged in specialty acts during the first half of the show returned for the second segment, so varied were costumes, sequences and individual or group performances the audience had no sense of J repetition, but rather was ob-l serving new faces, new tal-J ents. #aUanb^^2Tribunc Sun., Dec. 28, ]969 Site fewd'sco Gl CajcO. , Holiday on Ice Opens In Oakland By Hal Aigner j Hobday on Ice opened its j silver anniversary season) this weekend at the Oak- j land-Alameda Coliseum with { a fast-moving, colorful and I entertaining production: The stars of the show in- j elude Ronnie Robertson, a j native Californian who took ! second place in both Olympic [ and World ice skating chain- j pi o n s h i p s as a teenager; ' Tommy Allen and Juanita ' Percelly. a husband and wife team; and Marei Langen- j bein, who is in her second year with the show. Also noteworthy are the j Cook family, the comedy \. team of Paul Andre and i Johnny Leach, and Werner J and Denise Muller with their f trained chimpanzees. The theme of this year's j show is the celebration of various holidays. Each day is celebrated by an ensemble of tightly-disciplined, lavishly- ! costumed, skaters perform- I ing imaginatively choreographed routines. I In addition, there are numerous featured acts, indi- I v i d u a 1 performances ! comedy routines. ' Robertson, billed as the ! show's star, is without question a great skater, but his II incredibly fast spins and his [ perfect timing are executed || so smoothly that his efforts appear easier and less spectacular than they are. .The Cook family and Allen and Percelly perform breath- taking gymnasittcs which leave no question as to the daring, and ability of the skaters'. Of particular note is Kris Cook who holds a hand- Stand on her father's forearm while he glides about the arena on stilts. The comedy routines con sisted of a passable skating stuffed dog skit, amusing parodies of Anthony and Cleopatra and Colonel Saunders, by Andre and Leech and a hilarious presentation of Kossmayer's Mules. The two mules take turns bucking both Holiday On lec audience plants and courageous audience members, who tried to ride them, with equal ease. The act was a high point of involvement, and merriment for the audience. All in all the 25th season Holiday On Ice show is slick, well thought out and good entertainment.