A decade on, Irish dancers drifting down same river
D A N C E R E V I E W Riverdance Canon Theatre, Toronto
Riverdance, the 10-year-old Dublin-produced theatrical spectacular, has rolled into Toronto like a well-oiled locomotive for its fifth local engagement. The North American touring company’s only other currently scheduled Canadian stop will be in London, Ont., next May.
Nothing much has changed. The show mixes Irish soft- and hard-soled step dancing with Celtic-inspired songs and instrumentals and various cultural fusions — improbably even whirling dervishes — but the youthful fire that produced such an irresistible head of steam in Riverdance’s 1997 Canadian debut is now dampened.
After so many years and so much touring — two other Riverdance companies are concurrently playing Japan and France — there is something grimly relentless about the whole affair. Despite its incandescent moments, it never quite ignites.
It all began in April, 1994, as a seven-minute interval entertainment of champion Irish dancers in the Eurovision Song Contest. The deliriously enthusiastic response prompted enterprising Irish producer Moya Doherty, and now Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan, to spin this impressive display of arms-by-the-sides, feet-on-fire Celtic dance into a full-blown show.
Wisely, given the expressive, choreographic limitations of the style — all that high stepping can soon abrade the nerves — they developed the idea into a theatrical review that provided relief from the thundering feet by way of instrumental and vocal interludes. As glue, they added an over-arching theme with a vaguely epic New Age feel, which carried the show from the boggy mythic mists of ancient Ireland — lots of dry ice effects and stage smoke — to the boisterous immigrant slums of New York and beyond.
As the show evolved, connections were made to other dancing traditions, notably Spanish flamenco and Afro-American tap, which served the practical purpose of widening Riverdance’s international appeal. The “ Trading Taps” sequence, in which Irish step dancers encounter black American tappers in the New World, is still among the show’s most entertaining moments. Soon Riverdance was winning ovations from audiences with no cultural or sentimental connection to the emerald isle, not even a distant cousin.
Early Riverdance was dominated by the electric, preening talent of Michael Flatley, who played a seminal role in stirring traditional Irish dance into a theatrically intoxicating brew. Some of his original choreography survives into the current show. Flatley soon split and launched his own runaway hit, the Vegastinged Lord of the Dance. Meanwhile, Riverdance continued in a more modest vein to bring Celtic culture to faraway audiences. Other Riverdance leading men have attempted to match Flatley’s potent mix of ego and technique, but none has come close. Irish-American Padraic Moyles, the current occupant of the role, has the ego and technique, but no amount of posturing and audiencecan substitute for genuine charisma. Moyles almost seemed impatient with the muted response of Tuesday night’s opening crowd.
The singing is still lovely, if a tad over-processed. Declan Masterson is bonded in melancholy spirit with his uillean pipes. The Moscow Folk Ballet Company leaps high. The dance chorus is a precision tool. Still, overall Riverdance’s inner spirit seems to be drying up. Even the best shows have a sell- by date.
Until Oct. 23, Canon Theatre (244 Victoria St., Toronto). Tickets from $45 at www. mirvish. com or 416-872- 1212, 1-800-461- 3333.