Standing Ovations for Lord of the Dance – Our Opening Night Review

If ever there was a show that lives up to its name it has to be LORD OF THE DANCE – 25 YEARS OF STANDING OVATIONS. Guess what? There were standing ovations aplenty last night at the New Theatre in Cardiff, and each of them rightly deserved.

This is all the brainchild of MICHAEL FLATLEY, with the most incredible choreography set to the music of composer GERARD FAHY, who has been working with Michael for almost 20 years now.

Now Michael isn’t in this production but fear not, he does make a couple of appearances on the huge screens at the back of the stage. There is a massive cheer when he pops up, almost like he’s in the room with us. Which in many ways his spirit is. What we see on the stage, and across the dance floor, wouldn’t be happening if it wasn’t for Michael.

In fact, you’ve heard of the Three Tenors? In this show we get the Three Flatley’s, and we don’t have to wait long to see him. The show opens with footage from the original show all those years ago, and some voiceover history from Michael.

As I was watching him on the screen I was reminded of all the incredible routines we’ve seen over the years, and wondered how this new production was going to rival those.

I didn’t have to wonder for long. This new creation is really next-level. It’s a non-stop, technology laden, jaw dropping, costume filled monster of a show, with a terrific young company. But as awesome as the group routines are, there is still opportunity to see the individual talents within the cast and the first half in particular is a great showcase for this.

There is a story to follow but you’d be forgiven for slightly losing your way as you take in the awesomeness of the routines. I can’t begin to tell you just how stupendous the dancers and choreography are. In fact Michael said recently……

“I have the greatest team of dancers. They are excited to be part of Lord of the Dance and everyone single one of them is trained to the highest standards of dance, athleticism and precision. I’m so proud of them.”

So let’s get straight on and find out what the opening night audience (sold-out theatre) thought of the show. There’s a real mix of die hard fans who have seen the show multiple times, and there are the first-timers.

You’ll also see MATT SMITH who is the Lord of the Dance/Dance Captain in this production – effectively the Michael Flatley role. We spoke to him in the afternoon outside City hall in Cardiff where the dancers gathered so we could take a few pictures.

The story itself is based on Irish folklore and is a good old fashioned (with a hi-tech look) traditional good versus evil play, with of course the boy meets girls and falls in love thing too. Our main man is the Lord of the Dance, who fights against The Dark Lord to stop him taking over Planet Ireland.

The video on a large rear screen helps to set the scene, with beautiful Irish green fields, and evil fire pits and volcanos for the bad guys. But at the end of the day, it’s what’s happening right on the stage which drives this story forward.

Whilst everything about this production feels shiny and new, Michael has cleverly retained all the elements we know and love. And let’s be honest, you can’t celebrate 25 years of standing ovations without a sentimental nod to where it all began.

Since its premiere, Lord Of the Dance has become the most successful touring production in entertainment history. Dazzling audiences around the globe with its unique combination of high-energy Irish dancing, original music, storytelling and sensuality.

MATTHEW SMITH assumes the Michael Flatley role of Lord of the Dance, and boy is he everything you’d want in a Lord, and more. His moves are simply electrifying, but more importantly, he puts the same heart and passion into his dance as the original Lord does. He’s also really good at whipping us in the audience into a cheering frenzy.

And talking about cheering frenzy – when the shirts come off, the crowd go wild……

But this is a class act, and the entire company are outstanding, with an energy I’ve not seen on a stage for – well, since the last Lord of the Dance tour to be exact.

There is beauty and spectacle in abundance, more than worthy of the accolades and five-star reviews its received during this tour. And this is a long run which demands endurance and commitment from all the dancers.

This is a punishing show, which they perform with such ease and grace. With 150,000 taps during each performance LORD OF THE DANCE – 25 YEARS OF STANDING OVATIONS is a testament to the lifetime work of Michael Flatley, but also the dedication shown by every single member of the company.

Take a look at this rehearsal footage for the WARLORDS routine, and you’ll see what I mean.

I did say there were Lord Of The Dance newbies in the audience, two of those were Ian & Tracy who made the trip to the New Theatre from Port Talbot. They told us……..

This new production is real next-level stuff but the end of the show is a proper homage to the ‘old days’, the time when we all fell in love with Riverdance.

There are some lovely touches away from the dance. The fiddles are really good from GIADA COSTENARO and AISLING SAGE. The singing too is incredible, and elevates the show to an even higher level.

I would so love to mention everyone in this unbelievable company of talent, but it would take forever. I’m far better directing you the show programme, which is something a little special. There’s lots of great pictures of Michael through the years, and plenty of chances to see the entire cast.

I do though want to mention CELYN CARTWRIGHT who pays Erin The Goddess. Celyn is all Wales, having studied at the University of Wales, then getting her MA in Musical Theatre at the Royal Welsh College of Music. Welcome home Celyn.

The climax of the show is where we all really get involved, standing up, cheering and clapping these incredible routines.

That familiar line of dancers set the stage, with original footage showing on the screen behind. To watch them (back in the day) dance with the new cast, and the millisecond precision timing is a highlight of the show and worth the ticket price for that alone. I absolutely loved it.

I remember many years ago I was hosting a charity dinner and managed to get some of the cast of the then touring LOTD show to come along and perform a short routine for the guests. The smile I had then was as broad as the one across my face for the entire 2 hours of this incredible show.

LORD OF THE DANCE – 25 YEARS OF STANDING OVATIONS will have you on your feet, your hands stinging from the non-stop clapping, and your smile will last for the rest of the night. This is fun with a capital F and the most talented troupe you’ll find on any stage.

The show is only at the New Theatre in Cardiff for two more performances, tonight and tomorrow at 8pm. If you’ve haven’t got yourself a ticket, do it right now. You’ll probably only be able to find Upper Circle seats, but the view from up there is great, and you’ll really enjoy looking down onto the entire stage.

For more details, and to get yours, go HERE.

And to read our original feature on the show go HERE.