Kids’ film favourite Ice Age will be brought to life at Perth Arena in April, with a mix of music, dance, circus tricks, and ice-skating. Character designer Michael Curry shares his excitement about the transformation from screen to stage.
How did the Ice Age Live show come about?
Our composers, Martin and Ella, fell in love with the movie and its characters. They are such musical people that they immediately saw it in musical terms. This quickly turned into them writing a unique story. We all share much history with Cirque du Soleil, and we became excited about how much this Ice Age saga belonged on stage.
The characters are so loved by families and kids. Was it difficult or easy to turn those movie characters into live characters?
When characters are loved and so well known by the audience it becomes easier to create a connection because the audience fills in all the blanks. My goal is to expand on the unique characteristics of each character and deliver the essentials.
Apart from the characters we know about from the films, what new characters are in the show?
We wanted to create a slightly different kind of journey for our theatrical audience. We needed some bad guys for our story so we created these bird thugs. They are a threat to the Ice Age family, and they also are the springboard for some cool fight scenes that are something not found in the movie.
What about the skaters and performers – what do they contribute to the show?
They are the heart and energy. We were excited to combine high-level ice-skating with circus and dance – a first. Casting these amazing performers is a challenge because some of them have to be experts in skating, dancing, puppetry and technical circus.
What do you like the most in the show?
I like the variety. The amount of techniques we blend together is unprecedented. We were very careful to find a variety of elements that were absolutely meant to belong together.
Perth Arena, Apr 22-24.
