BWW Review: LORD OF THE DANCE Melds Fleet Feet and Fantasy in Rhode Island

Michael Flatley's consummate showmanship and astonishing talent defined Irish step dancing for a generation of theatergoers, and his artistic influence and legacy continue on as two troupes of dancers bring his long-running Lord of the Dance through another chapter of its world-wide tour.

Lord of the Dance has a somewhat more defined story line than Flatley's other smash hit, Riverdance, and the show joins traditional forms of Celtic dance with modern styles and performance skills to tell its tale.

A colorful, flute-playing spirit welcomes the audience to a peaceful and verdant land ruled by the benevolent Lord of the Dance. Soon, ominous rumblings disrupt the realm's serenity as Don Dorcha and his warrior clan arrive to challenge the dance Lord's rule and sink the kingdom into darkness.

The entertaining and talented Lord of the Dance troupe delivers its most popular and show-stopping elements - precision steps, high kicks, high energy - with great assurance and poise. Group numbers are the highlight of this production. The dancers' sheer speed and accuracy is astounding, and their boundless enthusiasm reaches audience members in even the furthest rows of the balcony.

Still, the production makes a few missteps. The lead dancers - while unquestionably skilled technicians - display little in the way of stage presence. Only a follow spot or a handful of extra spangles on a costume differentiate them from the other performers, and their repetitious, campy bids for applause feel forced and awkward.

Two featured performers do stand out: the sprightly Little Spirit, Sophia Ereminowicz, and the menacing Don Dorcha played by Zoltan Papp. Ereminowicz brims with charisma and personality, matching the bright colors of her Cirque du Soleil-like jester costume, and Papp smoothly melds top-notch dancing with his characterization, projecting a truly intimidating mien in even the thinnest, more absurd parts of the plotline.

Lord of the Dance travels with the background LED screens which are increasingly common to major touring productions. Unfortunately, the screens prove a distraction more often than not for this show. Some display rolling green hills or other landscapes, but the scenes move so quickly that this backdrop borders on inducing motion sickness. Other images divert attention away from dancers' movements by their sheer size, such as a giant swan invading a soloist's number or the blatant, tacky projection of the Lord of the Dance logo at the end of the first act.

Additionally, the show's lighting design causes problems with bright strobes and spotlights repeatedly shining out into the audience. It becomes difficult to appreciate the dancers' skills when frequently blinded by flashes from the stage.

Another concern develops during two group dances. In the first act, female company members shed their traditional dresses to prance sensually in lingerie, and later, LED screens project women's silhouettes in highly provocative poses during The Temptress' second-act spotlight with the cast. Given the sheer number of very young girls attending Lord of the Dance en masse with their families and dance companies, the message these scenes puts forward proves troubling.

Most of the production's music is pre-recorded, but the show has one singer, Mary-Anne Roddy, and two fiddlers, Giada Costenaro and Anne Hatfield. Roddy has a pleasant voice, but her slow melodies are shoehorned between big dance numbers, and these jar the linearity of the storytelling, often bringing the stage energy to a standstill.

The fiddlers' spotlight moments are much more clearly integrated with the plot and present as natural extensions of the dance's story. Costenaro and Hatfield demonstrate great skill and speed in their playing, and they are dynamic performers, engaging the audience and showing as much energy as their dancing counterparts.

Lord of the Dance played the Providence Performing Arts Center for one night only on Saturday, February 16, 2013. For more information about this production, and for a list of upcoming tour dates, visit www.lordofthedance.com.

Photo courtesy Providence Performing Arts Center.