Review: HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR ON ICE at The Gateway

With the magical notion of having a real ice skating rink on a dramatic stage, the Holiday Spectacular on Ice at the Gateway in Bellport creates wonder in the audience from inception and delivers well beyond expectations in person.

A mix of popular holiday season songs and a flurry of whimsical, but technically challenging ice-skating routines, the show is like having the Rockefeller Center rink transported to Belllport.

The star and emcee of the show is NANCY KERRIGAN, the silver medal winner of the 1994 Olympics and general American sweetheart of an era of ice skating queens, addressed the audience directly with grace and warmth and made seamless transitions for different scenes of the show. Mixed with some dancing and singing, Kerrigan showed herself to be a theater darling as well as the powerful, artistic skater she has been for over 30 years. In a particularly touching moment, Kerrigan expressed her thanks to be able to skill perform on ice as someone in her fifties.

With Kerrigan voicing and proving her skating prowess in her fifties, senior couple Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding proved that there is not ANY age limit on the ice. The duo consistently wow-ed the audience with daring headbanger/bounce spins where Sweiding, while holding Hartshorn by the ankles swings her and makes it look like her head is bouncing near the ice. The popular and dangerous move was used over half a dozen numbers with titillating variations at each iteration.

Vocalists Jennifer Brett, Bellport’s own Shannon Gibbons, Tyler Shore, and Zion Middleton were vocal powerhouses and great interpreters of rejuvenated holiday classics. The chemistry between Brett and Middleton was abundantly apparent in their “Baby It’s Cold Outside” routine where they managed to croon an old-fashioned and nostalgic sound to the song, whilst making the song seem more modern (and less assault-y).

Gibbons, a crowd favorite as a hometown Bellport girl, was cheered on for her soulful voice that carried a weight of the generosity of the holiday season that people hope to feel in December. Shore’s jauntiness and humor were energetic and well-executed while staying true to the deep timber of his voice.

In full company numbers like “Underneath the Tree” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” the four main vocalists and youth ensemble blended well with harmony and provided a rich backdrop for the skaters to show off their jumps and spins.

Gabrielle Kanog Freeman and Reese Sophia Wustenhoff, the two young skaters in the program opened the show with their softness and sweetness belying a rigorous skating program that was also of great artistry with a clear ballet influence.

It’s challenging as a theatre reviewer to evaluate figure-skating as I’ve had to look up the few technical skating terms I’ve used, but rest assured, even without an working knowledge of skating, the level of talent on ice at Bellport is so abundant and beyond belief that you’ll feel like you watched the Olympic trials.

Long Island Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. INTO THE WOODS (Post Theatre Company)

8.7% of votes

2. HAIRSPRAY (Five Towns College Performing Arts Center)

7.5% of votes

3. FOOTLOOSE (John W. Engeman Theater)

6.7% of votes

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