Review by CJ

Director:
Patty Vincent

Starring:
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Alice, Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinker Bell, nine Disney Princesses and their Princes, assorted Disney villains

Venue:
Hisense Arena

Running time:
112 minutes (including 20 minute interval)

Song List:
The Toys Are Back in Town. Alice in Wonderland. I’m Late. The Caucus Race. The Unbirthday Song. Painting the Roses Red. You Can Fly. Following the Leader. A Pirate’s Life. The Circle of Life. I Just Can’t Wait to be King. Be Prepared. Hakuna Matata. Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Heigh-Ho. Some Day My Prince Will Come. Prince Ali. A Whole New World. Under the Sea. I See the Light.

The number 70 tram clatters into Hisense Arena from where I’ve parked on Swan Street and I quickly disembark. There’s still time before the show starts, so I sit on a bench and enjoy a scrumptious cheeseburger and thick-cut chips I’d collected from Urban Burger before boarding the tram.

After disposing of the burger packaging thoughtfully, I trekked from the tram stop to the entrance and from there to the door that would lead to my seat. Once crammed into my seat like a sardine (honestly, who designs these venues and do they do so with Olive Oyl in mind?) with my program in hand and Mickey Mouse eared princess crown on my head, the lights dimmed, the crowd grew silent, and the magic began.

Performances included choreographed songs from their respective movies by:
Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, and the green soldiers of Toy Story. Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Red Queen, and the Queen’s card guards from Alice in Wonderland. Peter Pan, Wendy, John, Michael, Captain Hook, Smee, the Lost Boys, the pirates, and Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. Rafiki, Simba, Nala, Scar, Mufasa, the hyenas, Timon, and Pumbaa from The Lion King. Snow White, Doc, Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Bashful, Happy, the Prince, and the Wicked Queen from Snow White. Aladdin, Genie, Abu, and Jasmine from Aladdin. Sebastian and Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Rapunzel and Flynn from Tangled. Tiana and Naveen from The Princess and the Frog.

Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy appeared intermittently between sets offering comedy relief and introductions. A final ensemble performance of Someday My Prince Will Come by the featured Disney Princesses and their respective princes, joined by Belle and Adam, Aurora and Phillip, Mulan and Shang, and Cinderella and Charming.

You’re going to hear this word a lot during this review, but Disney on Ice truly was magical.

The performers were exceptional. I have never before been so in awe of what talented people can do with their bodies and performance art. The moves the performers accomplished on the ice kept my eyes transfixed while my mouth was belting out the songs. Speaking of which …

The song choices were fantastic. There weren’t any I didn’t recognise or with which I felt bored. The slower songs were accompanied with beautiful and graceful skating that brought them to life.

Everyone involved in putting together Treasure Trove and bringing it to the masses should be proud of themselves. Treasure Trove was one of the best live performances I have ever seen.

There are a couple of things that disappointed me about the overall experience, but I’m glad to report they had nothing to do with the performance or performers themselves.

The first I have already mentioned is the seating arrangements for Hisense Arena. I understand that they want to cram as many people into as little room as possible, but it’s not comfortable and detracts from the performance when the seats are undersized and have no leg room.

The second is Ticketek’s ridiculous fees. If I’m printing my own ticket and already being charged a “payment processing fee” (a reasonable 2% of ticket price), why am I forced to pay a “service/delivery fee” that equates to 6.2% of the ticket price. I am servicing myself by ordering the tickets online and delivering them myself by printing them at home. It is an exorbitant fee that is unreasonable.

Seating and fees aside, the magic of Disney is alive and well. If Academy award-winning Frozen wasn’t enough to sell you on the enduring magic, catch Treasure Trove and let beloved characters skate their way into your heart forever.

Rating: