‘SWITZERLAND' ICE BALLET

Evening Star, Issue 23526, 15 March 1940, Page 2

‘SWITZERLAND' ICE BALLET

OPENING TO-MORROW NIGHT At 8 o’clock to-morrow night, at His Majesty’s Theatre, J. C. Williamson Theatres will present ‘ Switzerland,’ an ice show and ballet. So that patrons intending to sit in the stalls will not have to stand in a queue, a . limited number of seats may be reserved at the D.I.C. A matinee performance will be given on Wednesday. Wherever it has played in New Zealand the ‘ Switzerland ’ Ice Show and Ice Ballet has drawn crowded houses, and this is a sure indication of the quality of the performances presented by the company. Audiences have been delighted with the exquisite grace of the skaters. -

A stage performance on ice is certainly novel, yet the ballet’s success lies not in the novelty of the entertainment, but in the artistry of the performers. Beautiful, captivating, and exhilarating as the ballets are, they are but a background for the performance of a host of stars. Megan Taylor, a world champion still in her ’teens, is one of the brightest of these stars, her grace and skill evoking storms or applause. Her father, Phil. Taylor, also a champion, indulges in more “ stunts ” than his beautiful daughter; he even skates on stilts, _ jumps over tables, and shrinking assistants, and dodges obstacles at top speed—all with uncanny skill. He has a clever partner in Elsie Heathcote. The MacKinnon Sisters, of Canada, contribute a thrilling adagio dance, and Rita Braraley, Diana Grafton, Ronald Priestley. Graham Hobbs, and several others add their quota of star skating turns. Eddie Marcel...an outstanding comedian, supplies the humour during the performance..