Before I start this review I want to make it clear that, like millions of people all around the world, I watched the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest and was completely mesmerised by the superb synchronised display of Irish dancing that was presented by Michael Flatley and his company.
I then went on to see the full Riverdance show, more than once, the original Lord of the Dance show and even Michael Flatley’s “look-at-me, aren’t I good” follow up show, Feet of Flames. After Riverdance each subsequent performance was a diluted version of its predecessor, with less emphasis on synchronised group dancing and more prominence given to the lead dancer.
Luckily, Michael Flatley’s desire for fame and popularity, fuelled by his on-stage personality and undoubted skill as a dancer, meant that, although each was a slightly paler imitation of the previous production, all of those shows were still entertaining enough.
In the latest incarnation, Lord of the Dance – Dangerous Games, there appears to be very little left to dilute as the live music has now been replaced by a recorded soundtrack, the scenery is made up of gaudy projected scenes of unicorns and rainbows when the “good” dancers perform and apocalyptic scenes of destruction when the “evil” dancers take to the stage.
The most disappointing change is that the sound of the dancers feet tapping, previously magnified by fitting microphones to the dancer’s shoes, is also pre-recorded, so that are effectively miming for the entire show. It is also possible that the “live” singer, Sophie Evans, was also miming, but I wasn’t sitting close enough to the stage to be sure of that.
Flatley still appears in the production, albeit just on video, and it is he, together with his son Michael St James Flatley, who open the production. He also returns to close the show with a five minute video of not one, or two, but three versions of “The Lord” dancing with himself in a display that goes to prove that there is no indulgence like self indulgence.
The cast of twenty dancers, two fiddle players, one “spirit” and one singer try hard to inject enthusiasm into this rather muddled tale of good versus evil but when the female dancers rip off their classic “short dress” outfits to dance in their underwear, and the guys take to the stage naked from the waist up, it’s obvious that their dancing skills are not all that they are required to show off.
The full storyline for this show is listed in the programme in one short paragraph, which explains why the vast majority of the “action” that takes place, in this ultimate fight for supremacy, happens in about 15 minutes of the second half – unsurprisingly, the most entertaining part of the show.
If there is to be yet another follow-up show then Michael Flatley needs to go back and watch videos of the Eurovision appearance and, although it will pain him to do so since he fell out with the production company, the original Riverdance show. He will see there that the emphasis was on bringing Irish dance to a worldwide audience and not to rip them off with a cheap, pre-recorded, gaudy, mish-mash of a show that, although the faithful seemed to enjoy, lacked any depth or any real entertainment value.
** Two Stars
