Michael Flatley (creator, choreographer); Gerard Fahy (composer)
MFCE Entertainment
Palace Theatre, Manchester
August 15-18, 2024; 2hrs 10mins
(also York Barbican, August 20-25; Blackpool Opera House, September 17-19; Sheffield City Hall, October 25-27)
The story of Lord of the Dance is a simple one: good, in the form of the lord (here, Mathew Smith) overcomes bad, in the form of Joseph Howarth, by the simple expedient of being a better dancer.
It's a theme explored in popular culture all over the world, with music or some other artistic endeavour the duelling matter, but rarely is it this visually exciting.
Michael Flatley has been dancing in, devising and directing dance shows for many years, all with the same theme: Irish traditional dancing with fit young men and graceful young women, all performing high kicks and incredibly fast tap dancing. All with the women smiling and the men grim-faced. All done with intense physicality, and mostly from the waist down.
Its hard work for the dancers and nearly as hard for the audience, but fortunately the audience is up for it
and every dance in this show is rewarded with a roar of approval.
Which is the key to the performance. Every member of the audience knows what to expect, and that’s why they come. The full house at the Palace was there to experience a well-loved , well-rounded old friend, and the old friend doesn't disappoint.
The core of the production is the powerful ensemble dancing. The women are ethereal and the men exude passion and power in tne orchestrated dance rhythms, the unison power and energy elevating the whole thing. There are also moments that stand out for their oddity: the Barbie-doll lookalikes that come to life, for example, or the scene in what looks like M&S's bra and knicker department It's all grist to the mill for the faithful.
Two fiddlers also stand out: Giada Cunningham and Helena Gullan have a piece of the musical action
that uses the traditional rhythms of Ireland to great effect. Surprisingly, neither is Irish (Italian and
British, indeed) which illustrates the universality of music if nothing else.
The full house at the Palace clearly loved everything placed befoe it, and in this case I don't disagree.
More info and tickets here
