A party on ice

Now that the calendar has turned to November, it’s time for another ice extravaganza from the Disney folks to make its way to Nassau Coliseum, beginning Nov. 10, for 11 shows. This season’s production is billed as “one colossal party on ice,” with everyone’s favorite Disney friends.
Let’s Celebrate! features the beloved characters from 16 Disney stories live on ice, including Tiana, the newest Disney Princess from Walt Disney Pictures’ The Princess and the Frog. Audiences will experience many popular festivities with the beloved Disney characters: a Winter Wonderland with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, a Halloween Haunt with the Disney villains, A Very Merry Unbirthday Party, A Royal Ball with Disney princesses, and more, in this medley of holidays, celebrations and festivals from around the globe.
“What’s so great about the show is that it features more than 50 Disney characters, and we get to celebrate holidays and festivities with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto and Goofy,” said Director Patty Vincent. “It’s all about experiencing the holidays through their eyes. Who doesn’t love a holiday, a celebration or a birthday party? We have it all, and you get to celebrate it all in a short period of time! I think audiences will walk away very happy.”
In developing the show, Vincent explained, she wanted to convey the holiday feelings and visuals that children experience and adults remember from childhood. “Everyone experiences celebrations throughout the year and around the world, but in this show we’re using Disney characters to celebrate in our own way.”

Unlike other Disney on Ice productions, this show does not tell any traditional stories; it’s completely original, with music that is contemporary and modern.
“I get really warm feelings when I talk about holidays, so for this show I envisioned a lot of colors, warmth and spirit that evoke happy memories,” Vincent said. “For instance, in the Valentine’s Day scene we incorporate a lot of pink and use soft, beautiful chiffons and flower petals to recreate a Valentine’s Day fantasy. Going into our holiday scenes, I saw the characters dressed in cute holiday colors, and I wanted to feel the cold, so I had Mickey and Minnie run in from outside and brush snow off themselves.”
Families are going to walk in and say “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” and walk out feeling like they’ve gone on a journey together, according to Vincent. “Audiences will experience a different style of movement at every celebration we experience around the world and will encounter surprises around every corner. We also have great images that will entertain them. They’ll remember the incredible visuals like the UV lighting during the brooms precision skating number, chiffons dropping from the ceiling in the Valentine’s Day number, giant spider webs appearing during Halloween.”
“Our set plays a significant role in the storytelling because it has many levels that add depth and creativity to the staging and contribute greatly to the production value,” Vincent said. “We have a huge video screen that lends a special element to the overall look. We use the height and space of the set really well and have so many visual images coming from the sky that you really feel like you’re surrounded by the atmosphere. You’re not sitting back watching something; you feel like you’re engulfed in it. I get chills watching this show.”
The production’s extraordinary lighting effects are among the many elements that help transport the audience to the world inhabited by their favorite characters. British lighting designer Alex Reardon brought his experience designing rock concert lighting for such bands as Foreigner, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Paul Simon, and Tears for Fears to the ice show. The result is a new twist on the Disney on Ice experience, with a visual approach that adds a spectacular impact to the show.
“Lighting an ice show does bring its own unique challenges,” Reardon said. “I was surprised at how the ice can become a major character. The surface of the ice takes light so well that the white block can become part of the action, if not reigned in. My job is to illuminate the action, use the ice, but create a balance so that the ice doesn’t dominate the story. The creative input from everyone involved has resulted in an amazing show.”
To help make sure this holiday season is a memorable one for area children in need, Disney On Ice is partnering with the Marine Corps “Toys For Tots” program. Donation boxes will be set up at Nassau Coliseum to accept new, unwrapped toys from patrons who wish to donate when attending the show.

Let’s Celebrate!
Tuesday through Sunday, Nov. 10-15. Times vary.
Tickets: $20-$80. Available at Nassau Coliseum Box Office or through Ticketmaster (800) 745-3000 or ticketmaster.com. Nassau Coliseum, Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale.