Theatre / Cathal Keaney
Review: Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games is a phenomenon. It’s now touring the UK as part of the show`s 20th anniversary celebrations.
It makes serious demands upon its cast. While the dancers rehearsed on the Hippodrome stage for the first time, I spoke to Erin-Kate Mcilravey about her regime. At 24, she’s been with the show for seven years. She works six days a week, spends more than an hour onstage every night and, if she’s lucky – very lucky and doesn’t get injured – she might still be going when she’s 35. But LOTD is still as good as it gets for Erin-Kate. Her dancing teacher was one of the show`s original cast.
Flatley has never been the modest type. The production notes proudly point out that this latest version has been created, produced, choreographed and directed by the man, and even though he rarely dances nowadays he still manages a guest appearance on stage here in the form of three (yes, three) synchronised ‘holograms’ of himself. In this production the “Lord” is played by three of his latest protégés – James Keegan, Cathal Keaney and Matt Smith. They rotate through the week so I can’t predict who you might see – but on opening night, Keaney was the business. This was serious macho dancing with charisma oozing out of every pore.
This new, reworked and updated LOTD is the same basic tale of good versus evil, but with revised staging, costumes, acrobatics, special effects, lighting and cutting-edge technology. It features a giant flat screen that splashes vivid animations across the full width of the stage.
It’s certainly spectacular – some might say bigger and better than ever before – but some critics have already been a bit sniffy about it. Their argument is that, in adding all these modern elements, Flatley has moved too far away from traditional Irish dancing. But that`s like criticising a Ferrari for moving too far away from a traditional horse and cart. Flatley has never been a purist: he’s in the business of producing extravaganzas, blockbusting stage shows that compete with billion-dollar movies – that’s why he borrows so much of their iconography.
Throughout this latest LOTD you’ll find visual echoes of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Warhammer and Disney’s Fantasia (frankly, this last one was the hardest to swallow. The giant flat screen was so packed with unicorns, flying fish, rainbows and waterfalls that I thought its sugar content was going to make my teeth fall out).
But the Hippodrome crowd just loved it – boy, did the woman sitting next to me let out one hell of a whoop when the ‘Lord’ ripped his shirt off.
Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games continues at the Hippodrome until Saturday, April 30. For more information and tickets, visit www.atgtickets.com/venues/bristol-hippodrome
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