ent000814-057

THE SAN D????·?? UNION Wednesday, January 21, \W?½_ ?√ß SAN DIEGO OPENING NIGHT foliday On Ice Scores Hit Zieqfeldian Flavor By PETER BROWN Holiday on Ice has taken the spirit of the Ziegfeld Follies .and frozen it in a big, gaudy Iked cube. True, the "American Girl'* is glorified on skates this time and there are chimpanzees, , acrobats, witches and a fat dog with a pink tongue at center stage% . * This is all spice for the great '?╟≤Ziegfeldian drips of rhinestone panels, ostrich towers three feet high, geld lame trains, ..Gibson girl brocade, crystal ; butterflies and Christmas hoop- * skirts of hammered silver 'which adorn the show's chorus. I FOUR ACTS STAND OUT * This skating chorus, with its * dozen costume changes from -Roman to Rio at Carnival to * White Christmas, is the cen- *terpiece for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Holiday on Ice ch played to a packed audience of 13.000 persons at the * Sports Arena. * - There were four show steal- * ers at the first San Diego performance: v ?╟÷The costumes, a glitter * collection ranging from bunny | \ pajamas to cutout velvet capes ( with matching hippie pants. All were by Broadway designer Freddy Wittop, who created the costumes for "Hello Dolly," "Maine"* and Carnival. It was the first time "Holiday" had made its own costumes in America instead of ordering them from Europe. ?╟÷A pair of acrobat dancers ?╟÷Tommy Allen and Juanita Percelly. The husband and wife duo skirted across the ice in a Valentine Salute with a frug-rock tempo, then danced "A Couple of Swells" with the grace of an old Fred Astaire movie. ?╟÷The Cook Family, featuring three children in twirling top routines as part of the flower-topped Spring Has Sprung number. They re-appeared as Easter bunnies during "Easter Parade," stopping the show both times. ?╟÷Three chimps on skates with their co-;skaters and trainers Werner and Denise Muller. The "Holiday Chimps" in ice- proof overalls tumbled, romped and waltzed and, for a finale, twirled screaming on ropes around their master. The only drawbacks of the opening night, which benefitted the Al Bahr Shrine project, were clumsy choreography and distracting backdrops which did not seem to conform with either the grace of the costumes or the precision of the dancers. FLU SHRINKS CAST Creator and director Donn Arden was hampered last night by the illness of one of his major stars, Ronnie Robertson, former Olympic skater who was to have done four solos as part of the production numbers. Arden, who also had ten j other performers out with flu last night, said Robertson ip j expected to be back in the show ionight. There are major changes of pace with children in mind between the costumed stage pieces. Hippie animals, includ-1 ing a lion with hair curlers, a chorus of dancing eggs, red, white and blue skating firecrackers and a Santa Claus Chorus. The show will continue m