Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Leaping and spinning her way through figure-skating routines at the 1976 Winter Olympics, 19-year-old Dorothy Hamill won hearts around the world as she won her prestigious gold medal. These days, that medal is a reminder to Hamill not of how great she once was, but of how much untapped potential she still has.
See Tarzan skate. See Jane swoon. See Tarzan and Jane swing on vines through the air . . . with their ice skates on. “Disney’s Jungle Adventures on Ice” takes three beloved Disney stories–“The Jungle Book,” “Tarzan” and “The Lion King”–and gives them a twist for the 21st century. The vignette for “The Jungle Book,” for instance, incorporates hip-hop beats into the remastered score.
Perhaps the best way to present “Grease” from now on is on ice. Ever since Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta starred in the 1978 film version of the play, most productions of the musical have been overshadowed by memories of the movie. But when you’ve got skaters performing double loops and death spirals, you tend to forget about the film and lose yourself in the fun.
It used to be that competitive skaters turned to ice shows after they won their medals and wanted to lay off the training. Not any more. With shows like “Stars on Ice,” which glided into town Saturday night at the Rosemont Horizon, many professional figure skaters are in the same physical condition today as when they trained for the Olympics and the World Championships. The two-hour show included something for everyone. American ice princess Kristi Yamaguchi vamped to Elvis’ “Trouble,” executing flawless jumps, while fellow Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton skated all the roles in a whimsical salute to the “Wizard of Oz.”