On Sunday, October 12, I journeyed to Charlotte NC for my first new season glimpse of Todd. The event was Cooks Champagne on Ice, the first of two ice shows this season sponsored by Cooks Champagne and headlining Todd. Prior to the start of the show, the announcer told the audience about Cooks Triple Challenge and explained that for every triple Todd landed in the show that night, Cooks would donate $1,000 to the City of Hope for cancer research. He also said that Todd would be attempting five triples.
The show began with a really cute ensemble number to "Puttin' on the Ritz" that featured the guys in the cast wearing tuxedos and the gals wearing gown-like costumes. Todd was definitely the headliner in this number, which began with his skating in circles around the other skaters who were frozen in place. When the other skaters came to life, there was a lot of action going on, but I confess to having missed a lot of what that was in order to concentrate on what Todd was doing. At one point, he was busily engaged in proving that it is indeed possible to perform the Charleston on the ice. The number climaxed with Todd and the ladies in the cast forming a chorus line, with Todd in the center and a string of ladies on each arm. He looked the part perfectly, positively exuding urbane sophistication.
At the conclusion of this number, there was a longish pause to allow time for Todd to change out of the tuxedo and into the costume for his first solo number. This proved to be that funky checked shirt with the clashing colors in front, a costume that made its first appearance this last summer in the closing segment of the TOC. It's definitely a wild looking shirt and so not inappropriate for use with Walk on the Wild Side, which is exactly the use to which it was put this evening.
He began the performance with a triple axel, executed in the usual gorgeous Eldredge style, and this was followed shortly thereafter by an equally nice triple toe (thus together costing Cooks $2,000). With these plus the high quality spins we've come to expect and the snappy footwork, Todd was well on his way to a flawless performance when near-disaster struck with the double axel toward the end of the program. What happened (I later learned) was that a skate blade came loose, so that the blade went one way and his foot another, resulting in a real struggle for him to stay upright. Somehow he managed to finish the program, loose blade and all, and to finish it strongly to a very appreciative response from the audience.
It was a long wait for Todd's next appearance (a nearly 2 1/2 hour wait - this was a *very* long show). Initially I had been extremely irritated to learn that he (even though supposedly headlining) would not be the closing performance of the show, that spot having been given to Nancy Kerrigan. Well, I remained annoyed about that, but at least he was skating just before Nancy and it did mean not having to wait even longer to see him skate again. And, of course, Todd's Close Every Door is always an experience worth waiting for!
The skate blade mishap in the first act had resulted in a sore ankle, so he elected to drop the original plan to go for the triple axel in this number, opting for a really nice double one instead. But, in addition to those fabulous spins, spirals and other elements, he managed to earn another $4,000 for the City of Hope by landing two triple toes, a triple loop and a gorgeous triple lutz. The audience went appropriately nuts, with a number of them rising to their feet in appreciation.
All in all, although I may be a wee bit on the prejudiced side, I would have to say that Todd's skating made this journey well worth the trip.
