Seen & Overheard; Special Ice Show Edition

Copyright 2001 Dayton Newspapers, Inc.

LOVE FEST.

The 2000-2001 edition of Stars on Ice that glided into the Ervin J. Nutter Center Wednesday night was first and foremost a glitzy, gooey, giggly farewell to 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton - and that was just fine with the almost capacity crowd. Especially touching was his final solo number, My Way, which incorporated bits from his past crowd-pleasing routines.

IN GOOD HANDS.

Clearly ready to don the Hamilton clown crown, however, is Canadian great Kurt Browning, who shone as perhaps the night's brightest star. Browning hasn't lost a thing, other than some hair, since leaving the amateur ranks. Technically, he's as precise and powerful as ever, but he has an elegance that has only grown through the years. So have his muscles, as the spotlight and tank top made clear in his Nyah routine. That, plus the laughs he elicited in his Don ' t Fence Me In get-up, showed him to be the complete skating package.

ALL-AROUND GOOD SHOW.

Other stellar performers were Kristi Yamaguchi, still strong and graceful after all these years; the still-improving Tara Lipinski, whose smile outshone the brightest light in the venue; Steven Cousins, who was hot in leather in the first act. Yamaguchi's solo to Sting's Desert Rose featured Middle Eastern-inspired choreography and incredibly intricate arm movements.

GOOD LISTENING, TOO.

Stars on Ice provided a diverse musical tour, from the National Symphony Orchestra to Creed, Sting, the Dixie Chicks, Art Blakey, Elton John and Herbie Hancock. Almost every taste was tickled.

SECOND COURSE.