Show Business: A Spectacle for Thinking Adults

After Brian Boitano capped his amateur figure-skating career in 1988 with a second World Championship and an Olympic gold medal, the full range of options for professional skaters was open to him -- to wit, Ice Capades or Holiday On Ice. Signing with either established show, or with competing vehicles, would have meant performing mostly for children, vying for their attention with actors impersonating furry animals and cartoon characters. It would have meant coping with fake snow sifting from the ceiling and a clutter of chorus members on the ice. Boitano wanted nothing to do with six-performance weekends in the company...