Passion

Holiday On Ice rolled into town with rather less than the usual fanfare and fuss, which is strange for a company that normally makes a big noise. Which for regulars like myself seemed to indicate that this show was not going to be of the usual standard. Far from it, Passion achieves something that for so many years HOI has failed to do, and that is to deliver something with a genuinely modern feel. It’s not that there wasn’t the glitz and glamour of an ice show, it was just that it was delivered in a far more contemporary way. This in part is due to a fresh modernity in the music, excellent lighting and more restraint in the costumes. Live singing from trio Vintage Vegas added to the overall effect but above all it came down to genuine storytelling from the performers, life-stories, back stage love and arguments lent a real passion to the whole. The staging was equally important too, a pared down simplicity of both set and costumes, live cameras capturing the skating excellence, there were a few falls but it’s slippery out there! All in all this is the best HOI for a few years and made me believe there is a future for a well conceived ice show.
5 January
The Brighton Centre
Andrew Kay
5 stars