Your children may need reminding on the way home that there’s more to classical Greek culture than pita pockets and moussaka (and that the various testy deities populating ancient mythology lack the warm and cuddly qualities on display here), but “Disney on Ice: Hercules” is nonetheless a grand and imaginative frozen spectacle that will delight any youngster stuck in a big way on the animated movie from last summer.
Feld Entertainment has created a much more technically lavish and visually attractive ice show than the recent version of “Starlight Express.” That’s mainly because one end of the arena has been covered with a grand false proscenium, allowing for some splendid backdrop and a more intimate, unified atmosphere.
Some observers of the competitive ice-show business are betting that Walt Disney Productions will soon nix its long relationship with Feld (these days, the mighty mouse prefers to produce itself in all of its myriad media), but no expense has been spared here in Feld’s expensive, lip-synced affair. Along with enough pyrotechnics to satiate a rock-concert crowd, highlights include an electronic flying Pegasus that tracks around the roof of the Rosemont Horizon, Titans standing 12 feet tall, a rotating mountain (why not?) and a 10-headed hydraulic Hydra.
So what if Karen Wann’s overall design aesthetic is more indebted to Caesars Palace in Las Vegas than to Athens or the Acropolis: the pint-size fellow in the seat next to mine almost choked on his snow cone when the inflatable Hydra grew another noggin right before his wide eyes.
Given that the show is basically a re-creation of the cartoon (using the same voices), it’s only worth attending if the live thrills and skating can offer something more. The technology (along with some splendid padded costumes from Arthur Boccia) more than delivers.
At trick-laden entertainments like these (some of the monsters may be too intense for very young children), skating usually takes a flip toward the back. There were a few tumbles and staggers at the Horizon opening, but the legitimately skated finale by Larissa Zamotina and Troy Goldstein (about the beefiest ice dancer you ever saw) was beautifully performed. Clad in a mask that made him look like James Woods (no fun at all), Scott Cornfoot did the best acting of the night as the diabolic Hades.
Be warned that Feld/Disney have turned the Horizon into a veritable mall of merchandising and that the Rosemont has hiked its compulsory parking fee to an outrageous $10 (up from $8). But if you’re prepared to withstand cries for luminous $15 swords, this show will offer plenty of family value.
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“Disney on Ice: Hercules” plays through Sunday at the Rosemont Horizon and from Jan. 27 to Feb. 1 at the United Center. Phone 312-559-1212.
