****

Lord of the Dance, needless to say, has been a success. The catalogue for Dangerous Games - after opening (naturally) with a perma-tanned, blonde-quiffed Michael Flatley urging us to follow our dreams - continued with an astounding timeline of sell-out performances. Following its 1996 debut in Dublin, the show broke box office records from Wembley to South Africa, was screened from Hollywood to a global TV audience of 2.5 million and shows no sign of hanging its jig shoes over 20 years later.

Dangerous Games is the latest incarnation of the LOD brand, whose shows span Celtic Tiger to Feet of Flames. The story is simple, a classic tale of good versus evil, but the dancing is so dynamic that it’s enough. This is, after all, a dance show; many of which make no attempts at a plot at all.

The show both opens and closes with an extended screening of founder Michael Flatley, who made his final stage appearance last year. Granted, he still has a large input - ‘creator, producer, director and choreographer’ - but I found these constant reminders egoistical and tiresome, particularly when he hammers home the show's success under the guise of a motivational speech. Letting someone else have their turn in the spotlight clearly isn’t easy. 

Saying that, James Keegan deservedly got plenty of attention as the Lord. The Manchester-born dancer took up Irish dancing at the tender age of four, and like many of his colleagues, has clearly dedicated his life to the craft. The dancing from all the cast was faultless and, in some scenes, bordered on mesmerising.

Dance scenes were interspersed with Sophie Evans’ singing and two female fiddlers, something I found worked better in the second half, when the plot unfolded and it became clearer which characters were good and evil. The first half seemed a little incohesive and the twee technicolour background visuals - complete with prancing horses and grazing unicorns - a little random until the story emerged, particularly in contrast with ‘sexier’ scenes like that of Morrighan the Seductress.

Acrobat Jess Judge, as flautist Little Spirit, provided an intriguing contrast to the Celtic dance form and helped thread scenes together nicely: right up until the face-off finale between Keegan and the Dark Lord.

Gerard Fahy’s music, while lacking some of the ethereal quality often seen in Irish music, also complemented each act and the whole product illustrated just why Flatley’s legacy continues two decades on.

Just lose the ego and we envisage another two decades to come.  

Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games is at Palace Theatre until Saturday 15 April