Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
Lydia and I headed into the city last night to see Lord of the Dance: A Lifetime of Standing Ovations at The Alexandra, Birmingham. We both love to watch dance – in pretty much any form – and so we were thrilled to be going to see this famous show.
Undoubtably the world’s most famous Irish dancer, Michael Flatley’s legacy lives on in this celebration of the success of Lord of the Dance, that is currently on tour around the UK. Starring his successor Matt Smith, this new modernised version of the show is an eloquent love letter to Irish dancing, music, and even to Michael Flatley himself.
The show begins with a very American style video intro, displayed on a huge screen that makes up the entire backdrop for the stage, a simple platform and clear stairs the only addition to the set, both built into the screen itself. The video, narrated by Michael Flatley, hypes up the audience with his tale against adversity to bring his vision of Irish dancing to the world, despite his teachers telling him it was wrong, and ‘belting his hands to his side’ as a child as he danced.
What follows is a glorious and dramatic celebration of Irish dance and music, with a vague storyline of good vs evil – Matt Smith, the Lord of the Dance, versus the Dark Lord. His true love, good girl Saoirse, versus the temptress that is Morrighan, with her skin tight costumes and a sensual flare to her style of dancing.
Beautifully sung solos by ‘Erin the Goddess’, occasionally backed up by some of the dancers, break up the often frantic drumming of Irish music with fast footwork to match, and give the spellbound audience some peaceful interludes, while two fiddlers have us clapping our hands along with their songs.
The huge screen is used to good effect with often fantastical backdrops displayed as the dancers tap and dance their way across the stage. Everything from burning forests, starscapes, views of the Irish coastline, butterfly & flower filled countryside scenes, Celtic symbols, and even some elements of the iconic staging from the original production of the show grace the screen throughout the show.
The costumes, while still keeping a lot of the elements of the originals, have the same modernised feeling as the backdrops, helping the show to feel current while still undeniably being Michael Flatley’s show. With a dazzling amount of costume changes, the beautiful outfits (which are occasionally stripped off on stage!) often flow with the dancers’ movements and enhance the show.
Of course, the true star of the show is the frequently frantic footwork and always expressive contemporary style of Irish dancing that Michael Flatley is well known for. Seeing is believing when it comes to the way the whole cast dance in perfect timing, both with the music and each other, with gorgeous choreography. Iconic moments have been mixed in with the new movements, and at one point the dancers on stage even danced in time with archival footage of the original production displayed behind them.
At one point, the stage deserted, a giant Michael Flatley, accompanied by his apparent clones, seems as if he graces the stage as he appears on screen and dances on the platform. It is a beautiful moment after the story is complete, with good triumphing over evil. The cast make one more reappearance afterwards for a grand finale, as the show finishes with the iconic Planet Ireland dance.
Matt Smith is a true showman and gives an excellent performance as the Lord himself, encouraging the audience to cheer and shout as he takes control the stage throughout, and finishing the show with another, much deserved, standing ovation.
My one criticism of the show is that the music often felt like it was being blasted at us too loudly which, while it kept the audience hyped up, tarnished the magic of the moment a little and drowned out both the vocals and the tapping shoes at times.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience and not one easily forgotten. The show is a spectacular celebration of Irish dance, as evidenced by its long history of success and sold out shows around the world. Michael Flatley might not be there in person, but he certainly is in spirit. Lydia and I both loved it and we, along with the audience, were captivated throughout the two hour show.
Lydia says: I think that all the dancers performed incredibly and it is just amazing how well they can tell a story just through music, rhythm and, most importantly, dance. The way they communicate through their actions and facial expressions really brings the story to life. They never fall out of sync and always dance along to the music perfectly.
Lord of the Dance: A Lifetime of Standing Ovations is at The Alexandra until this Sunday 6th October, before continuing its tour throughout the UK. Tickets are available from £13, and it is well worth it in my opinion.
