A whole new world, with Disney’s latest ice show
Multiply one happy ending by seven and you have “Princess Wishes.”
Seven princes and seven princesses take to the ice for Disney’s newest show, featuring classic tales and new stories with a cast of nearly 40 skaters. The show plays through Sunday at the Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center and moves to Seattle’s KeyArena Wednesday-Nov. 18.
With so much royalty on ice, there’s an unprecedented amount of pairs skating from the princes and princesses: Ariel and Prince Eric, Jasmine and Aladdin, Belle and the Beast, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Mulan and Li Shang, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, Snow White and her handsome Prince.
Turning an animated feature into theater - then putting it on ice - takes outsized acting skills, said Robyn Sudkamp, who skates the role of the mermaid Ariel.
“The show’s designed to play 360 degrees around; we’re taught to play all the way around and make everything larger than life, so people at the top [of the arena] can experience the same thing as the people in the front row,” Sudkamp said.
And there are opportunities to show off some athleticism. Andrew Buchanan, for example, skates flat-out as Aladdin when he puts on bursts of speed to escape Jafar and the guards.
“I’m jumping over tables and swinging from ropes,” Buchanan said.
With skaters from Japan, Russia, Canada and the U.S. who compete internationally, “The tricks you’ll see here are the same as you’ll see in major competitions,” said Buchanan.
You’ll hear the words “Disney magic” for a lot of the specialty costumes and sets, from the dragon in “Snow White” to Cinderella’s carriage.
That magic translates into languages around the world, say Sudkamp and Buchanan.
“All over the world, in Japan, especially, they’re Disney-crazy,” said Buchanan. “They know every aspect of the show. Kids are smart. If you’re doing a good show, it shows in their faces. If you’re not, the kids will let you know.”
A version of this story originally appeared in The Times of Snohomish County. Contact Diane Wright at 425-745-7815 or dwright@seattletimes.com.