The Nutcracker on Ice, London Palladium - dance review

It’s bound to madden purists whenever ballet shoes are swapped for ice skates but the Nutcracker has more potential than most for the frozen stage thanks to its Christmas setting. Even the open-minded, however, might be taken aback by the garish colours, slapstick comedy and knowing looks at the audience that push the Palladium’s production close to panto on ice.

The inescapable feeling of an ill-conceived tone is not helped by the casting of Keith Chegwin as the magician Herr Drosselmeyer. Although he takes to the rink with confidence for someone with no formal training (he came sixth in ITV’s Dancing on Ice this year), his modern-day glasses and grins whiter than the ground he glides on are some of the most distracting features.

This is the fourth show from the Imperial Ice Stars, directed by founder Tony Mercer, who also helmed the previous “…on Ice” world tours (Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and Cinderella). The company, predominantly made up of professional Russian skaters, cannot be faulted for their athleticism but the acrobatics and high-speed moves do little to serve the story.

The crucial exceptions are Anastasia Ignatyeva and Bogdan Berezenko, who are enchanting as Marie and her Nutcracker Prince. When the stage clears for them to twirl together, seemingly effortless, they show grace and intimacy. In these all-too-brief sequences the production becomes something more than a stunt show.