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BIRMINGHAM POST-HERALD- -Wednesday, April 23 Ice Show Costumes Are Magnificent BY EMMETT WEAVER P-H Amusement Editor A costume designer's dream world would be an apt description of the 1969 edition of "Holiday on Ice" which glided into the Municipal Auditorium Tuesday night. Broadway's Freddy Wittop has really outdone himself in coming up with some of the most resplendent (but tasteful costumes) in this 24th annual display on ice by executive producer Morris Chalfen. A visual case in point is the pink-and-black tie simplicity of the tribute to Fred Astaire, with the femme dancers looking as if they stepped out of a New York or Paris haute couture salon. International Star The 1969 show, which will be in town through Sunday, also brings an exciting new international skating star to the forefront. Marein Langenbein is a statuesque goddess of the blades and she is featured in the "Astaire Time" number and also "The Gates of Granada" number with whirling top Ronnie Robertson who is back again as the revue's headliner. Frequently on a first-night, the ice arena can be slippery and treacherous, and a couple of times, skaters lost their balance. This year's "Holiday" is heavy on lavish ensemble, beautifully - costume numbers created, staged and directed by Donn Arden who apparently has a Las Vegas "feeling for artistically executed visual spectacle. Novelty Act However, there is a new novelty act, a non-human one, which turns out to be a real favorite, Werner Muller and his trio of chimps which have surprisingly been taught some quite difficult ice feats. They do everything from jump over to swing around the arena on | a rope. "The Little Sailor", Paul \ Andre, and his partner Johnny Leech, have a comedy j sequence called "Calling All j Cars" which involves the dismantling of an auto jalopy on the ice arena. With its salute to Astaire, a spear-waving jungle number, and also a stylish "Old New York" gaslight era opening, this year's Holiday tends more to the ensemble than the individual. The finale is a Hollywood enter tainment encyclopedis beginning with the "silents" and The Kestone Kops on up to the curtain-dropper with Robertson and company offering a tribute to the cinema capitol of the world. 24?╟÷ ?½ty itrmmnljam tfwua Wed., April 23J969_ 'Holiday' has theme of nostalgia Nostalgia was an appropriate theme for the Holiday on Ice show, Which opened Tuesday night at Birmingham Muncipal Auditorium for a six-day run. Strongly reminiscent of the Broadway extravaganzas of a few years back, the show offers a refreshing change change from today's style of entertainment, which demands the audience's emotional involvement. For many, the show has become something of a tradition. Parents, who remember the movement and color, perhaps get more of a thrill watching their own children's faces, and remembering. IN A SHOW OF this magnitude, personalities are often lost. But Ronnie Robertson, with a magnetism few possess, drew his audience to him. One lady was overheard saying she could have watched Ronnie skate all night. His appeal was a combination of skill and personality. The bright comic touch of "Ole Houn' Dawg" delighted old and young alike. That flop-eared "houn' " drew loud laughter when he leaped from the rink into the audience to give several ladies loud, sloppy kisses. One of the most spectacular facets of the show was the costuming, created by Freddy Wittop. Several of the production numbers were significant because of the lavish costumes. Sets, lighting, special effects all richly deserve a round of applause. As a change of pace entertainment, Hobday on Ice has established a legitimate place as wholesome family fun. ?╟÷ MARY JOHNSON. B?╟÷