'Lord of the Dance' sharp but still cheesy

"LORD OF THE DANCE," Kingsbury Hall, Jan. 30

Back in 1997, Michael Flatley's "Lord of the Dance" made its Utah debut at the Delta Center, which, of course, is now called the EnergySolutions Arena.

It was a major production and featured some great dancing and great musicians.

But the story line fell a bit short and the execution of the production was a bit on the cheesy side.

Fast forward to last Friday.

"Lord of the Dance" returned to Utah and was performed on the considerably smaller Kingsbury Hall stage. In the past 12 years, the dancing has been updated and the theatrics sharpened. But those things didn't help melt the cheese.

The production is part melodrama, part variety show, part pro-wrestling and Celtic gang warfare.

Explanation: It's the typical battle between good and evil. The story follows the Lord of the Dance who tries to protect his clan from the evil Don Dorcha, the Dark Lord.

While Dorcha has rallied his warriors to eliminate the Lord of the Dance, the hero summons his warlords to protect the clan.

Throughout the production, which musically narrates the journey of the Lord of the Dance, his muse Saoirse and a character called the Little Spirit, the cast dances the traditional Celtic step dances and reels and the audience is treated to some heartfelt singing, thanks to Erin, the goddess, and some quick-fingered fiddling.

The prerecorded music is so pristine that it became hard during some of the production to tell if the violins were really playing, but the audience didn't seem to mind. They cheered in all the right places and even booed at the Dark Lord.

Instead of wrestling, punching and hitting, the Dark Lord and his minions challenge the Lord of the Dance and his Warlords to a Celtic dance-off. The quick, nimble and meticulous footwork was full of life and energy as the dancers formed elaborate patterns on the stage.

The cheese flowed in when the Don Dorcha's warriors kidnap the Lord of the Dance and steal his golden belt, which, by the way, has the words "Lord of the Dance" emblazoned on it in big gold letters.

But through a lot of posing and posturing, the Lord of the Dance comes back from his demise and, after more posturing and posing, finally gets to dance-battle it out with Don Dorcha, and not only is the clan saved, but the planet is as well.

The production actually translated better to the smaller stage, and the action was immediate and more intimate. While this is a relatively safe show for families, there is one part where the women dance in a sultry manner in two-piece costumes.

And regardless of the story line and some of the pomp and circumstance, the dancing, singing and fiddle-playing are quite enjoyable.

E-mail: scott@desnews.com