THERE is no pumpkin in this frosty take on the classic fairytale and, for that matter, no fairy either, but the Imperial Ice Stars’ interpretation of Cinderella didn’t need a transmogrifying vegetable and a star-topped wand to make the show feel magical.

Instead of the traditional downtrodden servant girl, its leading lady (Olga Sharutenko) is a ballerina and her adversaries rivals for the lead role in Swan Lake.

The stepmother is played as a prima donna controlling parent, determined to see one of her daughters win the part of Odette and the hand of the Lord Mayor’s Son (Andrei Penkine) – himself a more down-to-earth version of Prince Charming.

Cinderella’s stepsisters are far from ugly, but their good looks are tainted by their bad manners as they flirt and stomp their way through their scenes.

Artistic director Tony Mercer commissioned a brand new musical score for the show, rather than using Prokofiev’s ballet, to better suit the flow of the blades. The result is a combination of traditional and modern, with sweeping pas de deux love scenes interspersed with the staccato motion of the ticking clock, represented by a team of gold clad ice-dancers.

Time is an important theme in the performance, with up to four synchronised clocks on stage at any one time and Cinderella’s father (Vadim Yarkov) given the job of a watchmaker.

Instead of a fairy godmother, there is a gipsy (Olga Gmyzina) who tells the future through a crystal ball, and the enigmatic character Thirteen O’Clock who steals Cinderella away when she fails to leave the Lord Mayor’s ball at midnight.

There are Olympic medallists and World Champions among the 23-strong cast, performing some moves that have never been attempted before. And all on a stage measuring just 15 sq m, rather than the customary arena 16-times the size.

There are delightful artistic touches – a townsperson lifted off stage by a bunch of helium balloons, stunning costumes and a series of one-footed dances as the girls of the town, one boot on and one boot off, queue up to try on the ice skate Cinderella leaves behind at the ball.

But it is the image of the couple spiralling through the air on a wire, united at last, that will endure the longest.