There was only one word to aptly describe it - and that word was �Wow!�.

The Canadian leg of the ever-popular Stars on Ice tour hit Toronto�s Maple Leaf Gardens for two near sold-out shows on April 30 and May 1. With a cast that included skating luminaries Kurt Browning, Brian Orser, Steven Cousins, Josee Chouinard, Katia Gordeeva, Bechke and Petrov, Torvill and Dean, and Bourne and Kraatz, the Stars brought down the house with a glittering spectacle on ice that was a seamless mixture of glitz and glamour, hilarity and drama, group cameraderie and individual glory ... and, of course, incredible skating.

What less did we expect? For over ten years, SOI has been the top skating tour around, and audiences across North America have gotten used to such spellbinding perfection. However, this year�s show, directed as usual by the always astounding Sandra Bezic, surpassed even the usual high quality skating fans have come to expect from Stars on Ice.

Connected by a running theme that had the cast playing the roles of Muses, the skaters went through their individual and group numbers with astonishing polish, performing more like members of a theatre group in a multi-act play than single actors delivering monologues. There was nary a miscue over two nights in Toronto, and the crowd was on its feet many times to reward excellent performances with thunderous applause. Particularly memorable were Bourne and Kraatz�s exhibition version of their signature Riverdance, which received extended standing ovations both before and after it was skated; Kurt Browning�s wackily intense Antares, and Brasseur and Eisler�s energy-driven Ballroom Blitz. Also well received were Josee Chouinard�s delightful The Sweater, Torvill and Dean�s Still Crazy After All These Years, and Bourne and Kraatz�s sizzling Stop.

The show�s trademark group numbers were at their best this year, showcasing Bezic�s choreographic genius as well as the acting talents of the cast. Fun and Games, an Olympic parody with a script written by Sports Illustrated journalist E.M. Swift, had the crowd in tears of laughter, and the Led Zepplin Stairway to Heaven finale was one of Stars� best ever, rivalling even the amazing Rolling Stones finale of SOI �95.

Laughter, drama, romance, passion, glamour, and great skating ... all the ingredients needed for a great show rolled into one. Stars on Ice Canada �98 was a show for the ages ... and man, was it damn fun to watch!