Peter Pan skates into Croydon (From Kingston Guardian)

Russian Ice Stars bring J M Barrie's book to life in Peter Pan on Ice at Fairfield Halls

11:52am Thursday 26th May 2011 in Freetime By Helen Barnes

J M Barrie’s magical tale of the boy who never grew up is the latest story to be brought to the rink by the Russian Ice Stars.

A make-believe world where pirates, Indians, and ticking crocodiles live comes vividly to life in the show Peter Pan on Ice.

But adapting Barrie’s story, and bringing Neverland to ice, is no mean feat, as production co-ordinator Julian Deplidge explains.

“There is no dialogue, no live conversation between the skaters, so you have always got to try and portray emotions through dance, which obviously always depends on people’s interpretations.”

But with Caverliere Giuseppe Arena, the man responsible for choreographing the opening ceremony of the 2006 Turin Winter Olypmics, in charge the story transfers almost seamlessly.

More used to skating on Olympic-sized rinks, the stars of the show have their abilities put to the test as they perform daring aerial artistry, jumps and spins, on a smaller, specially created rink.

Deplidge’s mum, Vee, founded Wild Rose Productions in 1990 with the idea of bringing full-length ioce shows to theatre stages.

It took three years to bring together a first class group of skaters and the technology needed to take a show on tour.

The company’s first show was an adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. Productions of Phantom of the Opera and Carmen on Ice followed but Peter Pan is one of Deplidge’s all-time favourites.

He remembers pestering his dad to read him the book as a bedtime story.

“I loved Peter Pan as a story as a kid. It’s got a bit of everything - pirates, Indians, a little bit of romance - it’s just a fantastic story.

“It translates into a really action packed show. You can have a sword fight on stage and there is always something to keep the kids, and the grandparents, entertained.”

Peter Pan on Ice, Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, June 1-5, 7.30pm, 2.30pm matinee, adults £18.50, £22.50, £25, child £9.25, £11.25, £12.50, family ticket £50 for first two performances. Call 020 8688 9291, fairfield.co.uk

Ice facts

Four tons of crushed ice from Billingsgate Market will be spread over the floor pipes once they are installed in Fairfield’s concert hall to start the freezing process. The rink is then sprayed with water every 20 to 30 minutes until it reaches 7-8cm thick, a process that takes between 14 to 18 hours.

14,000 litres of water are used to build the rink - enough to make more than 56,000 cups of tea.

15km of pipe work is used to create the ice floor. Laid end to end, a similar distance would take Kelly Holmes 1hour and 15 minutes to run.

The antifreeze in the ice machines reaches temperatures of -15 degrees – three times colder than a home freezer.

It takes 140 man hours to build the rink and 30 hours to dismantle it.