‘Lord of the Dance’ gets its Irish up at the Center

Tom Titus

Irish dancing -- as audiences who witnessed either of the two

productions of “Riverdance” at the Orange County Performing Arts

Center have found -- is a different breed of footwork. Those who

missed the aforementioned attractions can discover this bullet-paced

entertainment tonight and Saturday in the Center’s production of

“Lord of the Dance.”

Conceived by the master of the art form, Michael Flatley, who

oversees the current touring production, “Lord of the Dance” presents

two dozen highly charged hoofers whose synchronized staccato style of

terpsichorean leaves the audience wanting more -- and the company

more than willing to give it to them -- until both the doers and the

watchers are exhausted.

The show’s only drawback -- and it’s a big one -- is that none of

the performing artists are recognized by name in the program, not

even the highly talented principals. Only three people are credited

in print -- Flatley, of course, and his dance director (Marie Duffy)

and composer (Ronan Hardiman).

The principal dancer, Mark O’Donnell, has taken over the title

role Flatley created is famously anonymous. The other featured

performers shine in this rat-a-tat rumble between two conflicting

dance groups -- sort of like the dance in the gym from “West Side

Story” as each faction shows its high-stepping stuff.

The story, such as it is, weaves a “good vs. evil” pattern around

a series of traditional and modern Celtic dances, spiced by a lively

fiddlers’ duet and an entrancing female soloist known only as Erin

the Goddess. The titular hero -- young, dashing and handsome -- faces

off with an ominous bully identified only as Don Dorcha, the dark

lord, in a showdown that climaxes the evening.

These principals are backed by a sensational chorus of razor-sharp

dancers that often mesh as a unit for some fairly complex and

splendidly choreographed routines. After all the torrid tapping, the

ultimate faceoff between the two principal antagonists becomes

somewhat anticlimactic.

The Jets and the Sharks -- sorry, make that the Warriors and the

Warlords -- impress as antagonistic ensembles, and the nameless

leaders of both factions show some superb moves en route to the

finale. But it’s Erin the Goddess who’ll be retained in the memory

banks, at least by the male members of the audience. Her singing

voice is as lovely as herself.

The show opts for occasional cuteness in the form of “the Sprit,”

a petite dancer with a gold fez who more accurately could be labeled

the Sprite. Erstwhile rivals Saoirse, the Irish colleen, and

Morrighan, the temptress, spice up the proceedings periodically.

“Lord of the Dance” clocks in at under two hours, despite the

efforts of the company to elicit enough applause for yet another

encore. It’s a visual delight with the flying feet of the dancing

rivals approaching Flatley’s own Guinness world record of 35 taps per

second.

Only one thing would make this show more enjoyable -- knowing whom

we were applauding.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Fridays.