Actors will tell you that villains make the best characters. And Lisa Skubovius gets to play three in the latest "Disney on Ice" show.
The Canadian skater plays Maleficent, from "Sleeping Beauty," the jealous Queen from "Snow White" and the Wicked Stepmother from "Cinderella" in Feld Entertainment's all-new "Princess Classics," which opens Wednesday for nine performances in the Delta Center.
Unlike the squeals of delight from children in the audience when Mickey and Minnie Mouse arrive in the spotlight, "I definitely get a variety of reactions, stretching from screaming and crying to some kids waving and smiling at me. It just depends," Skubovius said by phone from San Francisco.
"But it's definitely very challenging and rewarding to play all of these wicked ladies," she said. "I have a lot of fun every night with my fellow skaters, and with the audiences as well. I also have some understudy roles — but on a regular basis I'm evil from start to finish."
Skubovius was in Salt Lake City about two years ago with the Disney on Ice "Jungle Adventures." She also performed with Feld Entertainment's "Grease on Ice" production six years ago.
She began skating at the age of 2 1/2, went on to win a variety of regional and provincial medals in Canada, and majored in journalism at Red River Community College in Winnipeg. While coaching professionally, Skubovius also wrote for a small-town newspaper. She likes writing, having free-lanced for skating magazines, but she really enjoys skating and traveling with the Feld shows.
Next year, when "Princess Classics" heads into its third year, the company will travel to Japan, Asia and Australia. "Our show has a lot of professional skating in it. It tells seven different stories and there are a lot of fancy costumes," Skubovius said. "I get a lot of compliments from the local people who help us in and out of our costumes. There is a lot of velvet, lots of jewels and some very pretty fabrics throughout the show."
The first act is built around short snippets from six Disney films — "Aladdin," "Sleeping Beauty," "The Little Mermaid," "Snow White," "Mulan" and "Beauty and the Beast." The second act relates the entire story of "Cinderella."
Skubovius said that for this production (Feld's 23rd Disney show), scenery designers have created the largest set ever built for a touring ice show. "Our set is amazing."
The production's free-standing castle — larger than most Broadway sets — is 33 feet tall and 35 feet in diameter. It weighs eight tons, according to the production's press material. Various segments of the structure pivot and move independently, creating a series of new settings for each segment — an Arabian palace for Jasmine in "Aladdin," Ariel's underwater kingdom for "The Little Mermaid," a Tyrolean castle for "Snow White," a far-Eastern fortress for "Mulan" and an elaborate 18th-century look for "Cinderella."
"The set itself is one of the stars of the show," Skubovius said.
Award-winning choreographer Tom Dickson and his wife, former Olympian Catarina Lindgren, have choreographed the "Princess Classics" production, focusing on synchronized skating and ice dancing.
If you go
What: "Disney on Ice Princess Classics"
Where: Delta Center
When: Wednesday through March 21
How much: $11.85-$35.75 (plus several discount options)
Phone: Ticketmaster outlets or 325-7328
Web: www.ticketmaster.com
Also: Tuesday from 4-7 p.m., ice sculptors will create a six-foot-high glass slipper, and onlookers may guess how many rose petals and buds are encased in another block of ice to win a VIP package.
Wednesday at noon, Cinderella and Belle will circle the Delta Center in horse-drawn carriages while Prince Ali rides a black Arabian horse, and punch and cookies will be served at a royal tea party; free passes will be given to children dressed as their favorite Disney princess or prince.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com