Chilly waters

Last week, I went with my 2 1/2-year-old nephew to see Disney on Ice's Finding Nemo. Now, I'm not going to lie to you. When I heard about this show, I was skeptical. Fish on ice sounded more like the makings of a lunch special than an evening of entertainment. On top of that, I'd dressed for an evening out with the girls that night (my babysitting adventure was a tad unexpected), not for a night of stepping between stadium cups of sugary soda and hopping over seats at the coliseum.

But, on Thursday night, I found myself in the long line of cars Nemo-bound. Our seats were actually very good, quite close to the ice. I'd packed a small blanket in case we got cold, but the temperatures in the coliseum were perfectly comfortable. The lights dimmed, the movie soundtrack began playing, and the show was off.

I take back anything bad that I ever said about fish on ice. The costumes were amazing, extremely inventive. With filmy, diaphonous fins that rippled in the wind as the skaters moved. And when they were hit with the black/blue lights, they glowed through the bluish haze. The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. When skaters move, they glide, so the fish really did appear to be swimming. No bouncy movements, just smooth, gentle gliding.

I was so impressed with the set pieces. Because the rink is basically a thrust theatre, no large set pieces that might block sight lines can be used. With a few very minimal but very evocative set pieces, the designers of this show created a fish tank, the deep blue sea, a human-sized scuba diver, and more. What creative thinking!

And my nephew was totally enthralled. Did he want to talk? No. Did he want to leave the rink at intermission, even to go to the bathroom? No. He just kept staring out at the rink, waiting for the performers to come back. When I'd lean over to him during the performance to point something out, he didn't even hear me. He was too busy focusing intently on everything that was happening out on the ice.

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. I'm glad I went. Even this old dog can learn a few new tricks now and then!

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