WALT DISNEY`S WORLD ON ICE, Delta Center, continues through March 17 (7 p.m. Thursday; 4 & 7:30 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1:30 & 5:30 p.m. Sunday; and 7 p.m. Monday). Tickets: $9.50, $12.50 and $15.50 (plus higher prices for special rinkside seating and children's discounts for some performances). Reservations: 467-8499. Tickets available at the Delta Center box office and all Smith'sTix outlets. Running time: two hours.
When Bob Moskalyk and Delene MacKenzie glide around the rink as romantic Dalmatians Pongo and Perdita, they're perfectly paired as the world's first a-dog-io team.
And they're just two of a talented cast of world-class skaters who kept a sold-out audience of youngsters and parents entertained Wednesday night during the opening performance of "Walt Disney's World on Ice."
Moskalyk and MacKenzie were also teamed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming and, separately, as Air and Water in a colorful production that packs five beloved Disney movies into two hours of mischief and adventure.
A brace of familiar Disney stars - Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy and Goofy and his teenage son, Max (who's even goofier than his dad), spin abbreviated versions of "The Jungle Book," "101 Dalmatians," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid" and excerpts from "Fantasia."
The premise gets off to a fairly routine start, but picks up when Max, making his "World on Ice" debut, grabs the Sorcerer's Apprentice's magic wand, stirring up some trouble in the process.
While, over all, this production didn't have quite the spare-noexpense look and attention-todetail that the recent "Wizard of Oz on Ice" had (and both came from the prolific Kenneth Feld Entertainment machine), it did have everything necessary to keep kids wide awake - plenty of fine skating, colorful costuming and ample amounts of high adventure and comedy.
Some highlights included energetic Cameron Medhurst as feisty Mowgli (but his "Jungle Book" colleagues, Baloo, King Louie and tiger Shere Khan weren't identified in the spiffy, all 3-D program) and Shirl Marie Cattani as devilish Cruella DeVil, who nearly melted the ice with her sultry solo routine.
Other standouts were Mark Naylor and Anisette Gent as Prince Eric and playful Ariel of "The Little Mermaid," Axel Mederic as the daring Magic Broom (magically turned loose by Mickey Mouse's Sorcerer's Apprentice) and Russian Stanislav Jirov as rhythmic Sebastian, who cuts loose in "Under the Sea" during the "Little Mermaid" segment.
Unfortunately, the printed program did not list who were playing both of Cinderella's ugly stepsisters, who delighted the crowd with their free-for-all pratfalls and very physical comedy; nor were there credits for many of the other famous Disney characters.
Most of the scenery was spectacular - which is what you would expect from any production with the Disney name attached. This included a nearly arena-length python, a pastel-hued oceanic spectacle, an ominous Bald Mountain and some very clever costuming for the "101 Dalmatians."
With an ensemble of 42, the Disney/Feld wizards do manage to come up with precisely 101 dogs. Hint No. 1: No, it's not done with mirrors. Hint No. 2: They've built on the "Masquerade Ball" idea from "The Phantom of the Opera." Hint No. 3: Brace yourself.
The kids will love it. Parents and grandparents can come along too, to provide transportation and patronize the concession stands.