A Spinoff of Olympic Fame

Call it the season of the teenager and the teen idol for Discover Stars on Ice.

The teenager is Tara Lipinski, now 16, who was 15 when she became figure skating’s youngest-ever women’s Olympic gold medalist last February. The teen idol is 1998 Olympic men’s champion Ilia Kulik, 21, who resembles actor Leonardo DiCaprio and has been affecting arena audiences in much the same way.

Both are making their debuts with Discover Stars on Ice, the touring show co-created by and starring 1984 Olympic champion Scott Hamilton, the 13th edition of which plays the San Diego Sports Arena on Friday, the Pond of Anaheim on Saturday and the Great Western Forum in Inglewood on Sunday.

Also new to the show are 1998 world silver pair medalists Jenni Meno and Todd Sand, a married couple who train in Lake Arrowhead; 1994 and 1998 Olympic bronze medalist Lu Chen; and eight-time British champion Steven Cousins. The rest of the 14-member ensemble includes Olympic champions Kristi Yamaguchi and Ekaterina Gordeeva, Rosalynn Sumners, the pair team Elena Bechke and Denis Petrov, and ice dancers Renee Roca and Gorsha Sur.

The addition of so many new cast members has reinvigorated the show, said Sandra Bezic, its longtime director, co-producer and head of the choreographic team.

“There is a fresh energy and a new joy,” Bezic said by phone from her home in Toronto. “Having watched Ilia and Tara especially, seeing their enthusiasm and discipline being applied to the rigors of rehearsals and of performing every day, has re-energized everyone.

“Tara is such a trouper,” she added. “It’s so much fun to see her light up when she steps out on the ice. And Ilia has brought to the show a sex appeal, which is a lot of fun. He’s learned very quickly to charm the girls. We’ve never had a teen idol before.”

Lipinski, on the phone from Seattle before heading off via the company’s private jet for a performance in Spokane, Wash., said she is having a wonderful time on tour.

“There’s so much freedom and flow,” she said, speaking almost as quickly as she skates. “I enjoy working with this group so much, especially with Scott. It’s an honor to skate with him. I hope someday I can do what he does.”

Lipinski’s solo numbers are set to “I Could Have Danced All Night” and a song by Sarah Brightman, “Second Element.” The latter, she said, “is something I haven’t done before. It’s more abstract, has more of an edge to it.”

Her favorite number is an ensemble piece in which she portrays a clown, allowing her to exhibit her acting skills. She is also pursuing acting off the ice, with a role on an episode of CBS’ “Touched by an Angel” scheduled to air in February.

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Lipinski admitted that she sometimes gets tired of the fuss made over her youth. “It’s like I said at the Olympics. Age doesn’t matter. If I can do what they can do, they should treat us all the same.”

Lipinski’s fellow Olympic champion Kulik is also enjoying the tour and the opportunity it affords to stretch artistically. In one solo number, he does not even jump but rather tap-dances, with microphones on his skates.

“I’m always so nervous,” Kulik said. “With the footwork, there is pressure, because if the sound is bad. . . . It’s the most difficult number in my entire life.”

A native of Moscow who recently moved to Tarzana, in part to launch an acting career, Kulik demurred when told of Bezic’s assessment of him as a teen idol. “Well,” he finally said with a laugh, “she’s always right: She’s the director. If she says something, I cannot argue with her.”

Though this edition of Discover Stars on Ice welcomes more newcomers than ever before, it is also bidding farewell to three veterans: Sumners, the only original cast member besides Hamilton; and the pair of Bechke and Petrov. And Hamilton, 40, who has recovered from a 1997 bout with testicular cancer and is still rebuilding his stamina after cancer treatments and ankle surgery, said next season will probably be his last.

“I’m looking to this year to really get everything back, and next year to be 100%, so I can say ‘thank you’ to the Stars audience,” said the skater and show co-producer, who chose one of this season’s numbers, “Keepin’ the Customers Satisfied,” because his late mother always wanted him to perform to it.

“I bring a history to the show,” he said. “I’ve always tried to gear myself directly to the audience, to bring something that’s purely entertainment. I’m still doing triples and [back] flips, but if I say at 40 that I’m going to do Olympic-caliber skating, then you can throw a bucket of cold water on me and slap my face. I’m here to entertain.”

BE THERE

Discover Stars on Ice plays the San Diego Sports Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Friday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $22 to $55. For information, call the box office at (619) 224-4171 or Ticketmaster at (619) 220-8497. The Pond of Anaheim, 2695 E. Katella Ave., Saturday at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32 to $58. For information, call the box office at (714) 704-2500 or Ticketmaster at (714) 740-2000. The Great Western Forum, 3900 W. Manchester Ave., Inglewood, Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $32 to $58. For information, call the box office at (310) 419-3182 or Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232.