An ice show is always hot, and "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure" will bring the heat to Bangkok in two months.
The first of its kind by Stage Entertainment Touring Productions and 20th Century Fox, the family arena show brings to life the characters from the first three films of the Ice Age series, which have been cherished by both children and adults for over a decade.
This screen-to-stage adaptation has already brought prehistoric fun with an all-new storyline and a cast of 40 international performers from 17 countries to audiences across Europe and North and South America where more than 100 shows have been staged since its premiere in London in late 2012. After half-way through its five-year world tour with a target to spread the joy to at least 30 countries, the production embarked on the Asian leg with the first stop at the Asia World Arena in Hong Kong in late July.
There the audiences were taken on a wild mission with their favourite furry trio. Manny the Mammoth, Sid the Slot and Diego the Tiger set off to rescue and bring Manny's baby Peaches home to her worrying mother mammoth Ellie.
Peaches was kidnapped alongside the possum duo, Crash and Eddie, by the evil snowy hawk named Shadow and his entourage -- Duke, Thorn and Chaos. They are all-new characters that added a lot of excitement to the show.
The abduction was Shadow's act of revenge triggered by the encroachment into his flourishing but forbidden land by Sid and the two possums. Of course, our heroes could save everyone but they encountered wilder obstacles on the way back home as the avalanches and rockfalls had trapped them into the fantasy underground world.
Fortunately, they crossed paths with their old friend, Buck the Weasel, who led them back to the surface. The herd were then confronted with those feathery villains and a fierce fight ensued. The fluffy foes were finally defeated but Shadow managed to speed away on his huge wings, leaving his three flightless followers behind.
As an ice show fan more familiar with the fairy-tale themes, I found this production quite amazing. It is full of drama, humour and fun and perfectly combines everything in one show -- ice skating, acrobatics, martial arts, gymnastics and aerial work.
It also comes with beautiful sets of stage backdrops and digitally projected landscapes. But the most striking element lies in the costume design, which helps to make the characters look realistic on stage.
Each of them has a unique way to exude its charm. Manny is almost 4m high and is always warm and caring. The cute Peaches has big green eyes and a lovely voice, which charmed many girls when she was singing and gliding across the rink.
The kind and calm Diego surprised us with his martial arts prowess in the fight scenes with those angry birds. Their fast-paced acts that took place on a platform involved kung fu and stick fighting. I believe these exciting scenes were well embraced by all adult audiences but I'm not sure if they were too violent for kids.
The good-hearted Sid took centrestage after the herd bumped into a tribe of mini sloths. They worshipped him and called him "Fire King" and engaged the audiences to sing and dance to a fun number, which concluded with a fireworks display.
As a newcomer with, perhaps, the most outstanding role of all, Shadow attracted everyone with his aerial stunts. Children cried foul when he swooped down to steal Peaches away and all eyes were fixed on him when he showed off his daring acts in mid-air.
My most favourite character, however, is the supersized sabre-toothed squirrel Scrat who often stole the show with his hilarious skit and acorn-chasing obsession. And things get funnier and lovelier when he got in a romance with the female squirrel Scratte, who seduced him with her sexy moves as she performed rhythmic gymnastics with his precious acorn.
Both also engaged in an impressive showcase of figure skating to the I Love You So score. This is my most favourite part, second only to the synchronised skating performed by a skulk of foxes.
The troublemaker duo Crash and Eddie were very playful. They occasionally managed to jump off the ice rink to briefly play with the audiences around the stage.
Honestly, the finale wasn't what I expected to see so soon. But I couldn't help but jump to my feet and join the audience to cheer and clap before waving goodbye to the characters and performers who brought us fun throughout this 100-minute spectacular.
- "Ice Age Live! A Mammoth Adventure" will be staged at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, on Nov 12-15.
- Tickets cost 600, 800, 1,200, 1,500, 1,800 and 2,500 baht and can be purchased from Thai Ticket Major.
- Visit www.thaiticketmajor.com.
Buck and Diego in the fight scenes against the evil birds.
