articles

Royal Sisters, Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen At CONSOL

Tickets Now On Sale in Pittsburgh for the Skating Spectacular MARCH 4-8

January 26, 2015

Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes

Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt

 

Tickets Now On Sale in Pittsburgh for the Skating Spectacular 

Where Heroes and Hearts Prevail 

Anna and Elsa and the hilarious snowman Olaf from Disney’s Frozen now share their story of true love in Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt.  The magical production will be coming to Pittsburgh’s CONSOL Energy Center with 9 performances March 4-8, 2015.

Believing is just the beginning in this mesmerizing show where dreamers will witness the magic of eight Disney Princesses; Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Rapunzel, Tiana, Jasmine, Aurora and Snow White make their wishes come true in this collection of celebrated tales wonderfully told through artistic skating and acrobatics. 

Entering a world of wonder where heroes and hearts prevail, Tinker Bell guides guests to a place where imaginations soar and anything can happen if they just believe. Ariel’s dreams are unlocked from under the sea and, in one magical moment, Prince Eric breaks Ursula’s slithering spell to reclaim his one true love. In a race against time to rescue Sleeping Beauty’s Aurora, Prince Philip defeats the evil Maleficent as she transforms into a fire-breathing dragon. Rapunzel fulfills her dream to escape the tower and see the floating lights; Tiana celebrates her ambitions of owning a restaurant down in New Orleans; Jasmine discovers a whole new world with Aladdin; and Snow White finds her one true love.  This beautiful presentation also reveals Cinderella and Belle’s deepest wishes. 

“Before dreaming up this show, we reflected on what makes Disney’s princesses and heroes so special,” said Producer Kenneth Feld.  “It didn’t take long to realize that every princess had one thing in common: each embarked on an adventure to find her heart’s fondest wish, and through believing, it comes true.  We wanted to share that inspirational message with our audiences by celebrating the stories of these enchanting princesses and their heroic princes.”

Guests will also enjoy a special second act by royal sisters, Anna and Elsa from the number one animated feature film of all time, Disney’s Frozen. Audiences will enter the land of Arendelle and journey up the North Mountains with Olaf and rugged mountain-man Kristoff as they help the sisters along the way to discover true love can conquer all.“Being able to include these new and exciting characters from, the Academy Award® winning tale, Frozen keeps our shows current and ever evolving,” adds Feld.

Adapting the inspirational moments to the ice presented an interesting challenge to the creative team.  To cause audiences to re-experience the emotions evoked by the films would take glittering sets, dramatic lighting, breathtaking choreography and a few surprises. Each member of the creative team approached this challenge with their own unique perspective.

For Director Patty Vincent, it was about realizing her goal for the overall vision of the show.“My favorite part of this entire experience was actually piecing it together from my original dream,” she noted.  “Starting with a blank piece of paper then gathering ideas, finding music, working out the choreography and costumes – I really loved creating it from scratch.  One of the most perfect moments for me was when I found the song “If You Can Dream” on the Disney Wishes album.  It just embodies the wishful and inspirational tone of the show. There’s nothing like seeing ideas that start with your imagination become something real – it’s an incredible experience.”An example of this creative process is evident in Vincent’s favorite part of the show.  “I love the “Under the Sea” production number because I was able to combine bubbling special effects with the most fantastic costumes and high-energy skating.  The scene is even more fun than I imagined it would be.”

Recognizing the timeless nature of the stories, Creative Director Jerry Bilik sought a cast whose talent would make the stories relatable and inspiring.“To me, the most exciting part of the show is really the cast,” Bilik said.  “These exceptional performers help translate the stories to the ice magnificently.  Their portrayal of the princesses and princes sweeps the audience away because they capture the essence of the characters’ hopes, dreams and heroism.”

For Costume Designer Ilona Somogyi, this experience was similar to her work on costumes for the hit Broadway production Spamalot, where she also used a very well-known film with many beloved characters as her primary resource.  For Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes, she sought inspiration from the original films and some other, more unusual places.“In addition to the films, specific scenes also had their own sources of inspiration,” Somogyi said. “For the Cinderella ball, Fabergé eggs were the basis for the full-flowing waltz gowns.  My underlying inspiration was the little girls who go to the shows dressed as their favorite Disney Princess. Seeing them made me nostalgic and took me back to what dazzled me as a little girl.”

Choreographer Cindy Stuart focused on crafting numbers that highlighted the unique story of each princess and her hero.  For example, in the Aladdin segment, there is a busy, fast-paced opening scene in the marketplace where Aladdin is being chased by the guards. Then when he meets Jasmine, the scene gives way to a dreamy, magical escape from reality in “A Whole New World.”

Set Designer Robert Little’s goal was to create a set that would be as beautiful and surprising as the princesses themselves but flexible enough to allow the telling of so many classic stories.  The core setting is a cascading, multi-tier waterfall with actual flowing water.  With a little pixie dust, Tinker Bell magically transforms the set into a different backdrop for each princess’ wish.  “We had this idea early on about wishes and the types of places where you’d be compelled to make wishes, and we hit upon the waterfall,” said Little.  “Like Snow White, who wouldn’t be inspired to wish for their dreams to come true at such a beautiful, magical place in the woods?”Little also had a hand in crafting the dragon from Sleeping Beauty, one of the most exciting and dramatic elements of the show.  “The effect is truly magnificent – and there’s a thrilling surprise in store for the audience that will really ignite their interests and the ice itself.”

In this, his fifth ice show credit, Emmy® Award winning Lighting Designer Peter Morse sought to complement the set design with the appropriate lighting that would transition smoothly between the stories. For instance, Morse used leafy designs of greens and sepia tones to establish the forest where Snow White wishes by a well.  He also recreates the night when Cinderella’s dreams come true with bursts of bright white stars. “When telling nine distinct stories, it’s important to be able to create a new environment to set the stage for each tale,” said Morse.  “Robert Little did this with the transformable set, and it was my mission to fill the rest of the ice with radiant lighting that would place the audience in the heart of these stories.”

Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes invites audiences to come along as Tinker Bell shows them the timeless tales of inspiring princesses and their heroes, including the story of sisterly love between Anna and Elsa. Focusing on the moments where the princesses’ dreams come true, the show uses high-energy music, fantastical sets and dramatic choreography to make a truly breathtaking experience.

Disney On Ice presents Princesses & Heroes Presented by Stonyfield YoKids Organic Yogurt comes to Pittsburgh’s CONSOL Energy Center March 4-8.

 

Date and Time of Performance: 

  • Wednesday, March 4 – 7PM
  • Thursday, March 5 – 10:30AM, 7PM
  • Friday, March 6 – 7PM
  • Saturday, March 7 – 11AM, 3PM, 7PM
  • Sunday, March 8 – 1PM, 5PM
Tickets start at: $30 ($15 Opening Night and Kids Tickets for $15 Saturday Night Only)
To order tickets by phone: 1-800-745-3000
To order tickets online: www.disneyonice.com
*Ticket pricing is subject to change based on market demand.