ent000814-054

los Angefes Henhftxamlner, Mday, Jan. % 1t70 :3/a '/4 Holiday On Ice: A Great Assignment ?╟≤ 3/4 7/a Va Dear Boss: When we found out Holiday On Ice was coming to town, I knew I'd get the assignment. I really didn't mind. I figured I could gel the old scrapbook out and do some minor rewriting. After all, aren't all ice shows the same? Well, have I got news for you. Holiday On Ice is different. It's a spectacle of color?╟÷and by far the most impressive skating revue I've ever seen. Donn Arden has created a show that can be enjoyed by young or old?╟÷and more than once. The silver anniversary edition lakes the audience on a vivid trip through the pages of a calendar. It opens with a combination 25th-anniversary and New Year's celebration with female skaters clad in mod outfits with midrifs showing. Arden had said earlier that he felt nudity could eventually come to ice revues. The gals looked lovely in the vibrant, pastels that matched the baloons decorating the sides of the skating surface. Parties bring hangovers and that's when good Ole Houn' Dawg enters drunk-as- <a-St. Bernard to supply the initial laugh, of which there are plenty. Though not new to Holiday On Ice, Alfredo Mendoza and John Ladue, the back and front of Houn', respectively, have added new routines and stunts, highlight of which is when a sexy white poodle enters with the background singers offering "Hey, Big Spender.'" Valentine's Day Is the next mood with songs from the past and a rock session by Tommy Allen and Juanita Percelly (Mrs. Allen). This pair is dynamic. They add a new zest to lifts, spins and some might fancy modern dance steps. The Rockin' Love-Ins, as they're called in the program, conclude act with & thrilling lift while skat- I ing the length of the ice capped by Miss Percelly's set of leg splits. They appear later in the Easter Story as hobos in their own Easter parade and again as part of a harvest moon hayride. Costuming splendor (by Freddy Wittop) and precision skating is stunningly . shown during Roman Holiday. Highlighting this phase is the brilliant skating of Marei Langenbein as The Golden Goddess and Ray Balmer as The Hero. Balmer almost steals the thunder away from star Ronnie Robertson in this scene and his later appearance in a Rio Holiday session. It's exciting to watch the veteran Balmer. He executes every move with daring and precision and though not reaching the spinning feats of Robertson, matches them with daring leaps across the ice. Robertson makes three appearances, all solo numbers. He portrays Pagliacei in a Salute To The Operas, Mr. Fifth Avenue in the Easter fun and The Devil's Disciple at Halloween. He's like ??an actor on stage portraying a role. He has the grace of a danseur Play Opens Tonight Neil Simon's sparkling comedy "The Star Spangled . Girl'' onens tonigfht at the-1 and glides about the ice like a snake stalking its prey. Comedy, done by animals and human beings alike, also sparkles throughout the extna- vanganza. Paul Andre and Johnny Leach share human accolades with their hilarious offerings of Cleopatra & Marc Antony and Those Chicken Delites, the Kernel and Pearl. Both are original, done in ?╜a slapstick vein and clean. Overwhelming audience reaction proved their success. The Muller holiday chimps and Kossmayer's mules share the animal limelight. The three chimps, ages 5, 3, and 2, do acrobatic stunts on the ice, jump over barriers and play ?╜a game of hockey that Jack Kent Cooke's Kings would be proud of. The audience gets its chance when the mules enter as male members are given a chance to ride?╟÷if they can even get on?╟÷the bucking mules. The result is the mules making jackasses of the men. Others featured in the production are the delightful Cook Family from Sherman Oaks, Kris Cook and Carol Johnson. By the way boss, you can get to see the show nightly through Jan. 18 at the Forum. Regards, Frank Lieberman Herald-Examiner Staff Writer