Lord of the Dance – Dangerous Games (touring) – theatre review

Coming up to 20 years after Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance officially debuted in Dublin, his company has lost none of its panache. These dancers are nothing short of phenomenal. Of course, now it is a new cast and a new show, even if several of the routines are familiar.

The story of good versus evil that plays out emerges from the dreams of a character known as the Little Spirit. In her mind, the Lord of the Dance represents all things righteous in the world, but he must fight against malevolence in the form of The Dark Lord and his army of Dark Disciples, including the seductress. Hey, let’s face it, while we’ve seen this kind of narrative played out in umpteen forms in various mediums, here it is more of an excuse to witness the gyrating torsos and frenzied, but oh so rhythmic, tap dancing.

Whenever this troupe taps in formation it is a sight for sore eyes and ears. Superlatives don’t do them justice. They really are that good, the rugged and chiselled men in particular, not that the women are slouches either. Their feet move at such pace and with such precision that it almost becomes a blur. High praise indeed.

The charismatic lead among 24 that take the stage, including duelling electric violinists, a singer and the Little Spirit, has the charisma and showmanship I recall when I first saw the Lord of the Dance creative force, Michael Flatley. His name is Morgan Comer and he started dancing in England at the age of five before he moved to Belfast when he turned 13. Now, he is a modern Adonis and he struts up and down the stage like he owns it. He knows and we know that he is every bit the star of the show and he doesn’t let us down. His opposite number Tom Cunningham does a mean tap too while invoking the Dark Lord. I was particularly taken by the huge video screen that dominated the back of the stage with its crystal clear and highly saturated colours – the reds, the blacks, the blues and the greens. It became a mood setter for the action taking place nine steps down on the stage below, being a series of set pieces – 14 in the first Act and 16 in the second. That was complemented by the wonderful array of costumes, so plaudits go to the designers extraordinaire.

While the tyrannical threat was introduced in the first half, it really kicked into gear in the second. Six performers, dressed like robots, ramp things up with an electronic mix to open Act 2, while the standoff between the Lord of the Dance and The Dark Lord, along with their underlings, was undoubtedly another highlight.

As I have already referenced, so too were any and all sequences involving these highly skilled toe tapping aficionados in so called “company” scenes. Fortunately there are ample opportunities to see them in unison. Hand clapping, cheering and wolf whistling follow.

Notwithstanding all the positives, of which there are many, I found some mood changes crafted on the big screen rather more abrupt than I really cared for. I also thought it strange that while, in large part, one scene morphed seamlessly into another (so there was a constant flow of energy) that was interrupted a few times when the stage went totally black. I really couldn’t figure out why and it was odd. Then there is the Lord of the Dance championship belt (a la boxing), as I choose to call it, that seems to be the prize on offer in the scrap between heaven and hell – an egocentric prop that surely isn’t needed.

The opening with a large ornamental clock projected onto the big screen was particularly effective. First a hologram of a young boy appears and before you know it Michael Flatley puts in a similar appearance, but then the self congratulations offered by Flatley about his phenomenal success was too much. Aussies traditionally don’t like big noters who have tickets on themselves. Surely, it is enough that we admire what he and his company do and achieve without them labouring the point. We get a second peek at Flatley, this time in triplicate, showing us the dance moves that made him famous just before the finale.

All in all though, this is two hours of spine tingling entertainment (including a 20 minute interval), which is bound to captivate most audience members.

Lord of the Dance Dangerous Games is playing 31 shows in Australia.

It is on at the Arts Centre in Melbourne until 4th October, before moving to the Canberra Theatre until 11th October, then onto the Concert Hall, QPAC until 16th October, Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast until 18th October and finally Sydney’s Capitol Theatre until 25th October.

It scores an 8 out of 10.

Alex First