Joan Marcus From left to right, Aaron
Tolson, Rogelio Douglas and
Ronald Bastine dance in a scene from "Riverdance
““ The Show," which is showing at the Shubert Theatre in
Century City through Feb. 4.
By Barbara McGuire
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The seemingly amazing feat that Rose performed in the
blockbuster “Titanic,” standing on her tip-toes, is
nothing compared to the toe-work done in
“Riverdance.”
Though there may be many similarities between the music and
dancing in “Riverdance” and the scene in
“Titanic” in which Rose attends a “real
party” with the Irish travelers, the movie’s imitation
makes it obvious that not everything can be made better with the
technology of film.
“Riverdance ““ The Show,” currently playing at
the Shubert Theatre for a short three-week engagement, is an
amazing display of the evolution of Irish culture through dance,
music and song. The dancing, singing and music are not, however,
limited to the Irish genre.
Of the 49 dancers in the company, only 37 are Irish dancers of
the jig, while the other 12 members are connoisseurs of the dance
forms of different countries. These other dancers are introduced
into the show as the history of the Irish people is told.
A narrator keeps the audience informed of the general happenings
throughout the evening, even throwing in Gaelic phrases every now
and then. The story begins with the origins of Ireland. Through
interwoven scenes of amazing song and dance, the history of the
Irish is told.
The main drama of the show occurs when the Irish men are forced
to leave Ireland for America in search of work. With this
transition, the other styles of dance are introduced. “Lift
the Wings,” a duet between the lead male and female singers,
is especially touching. The song focuses on the emotions and
hardships a man experiences as he is separated from his love and
forced to leave his native country.
Though their move to the Americas was no doubt heartbreaking and
difficult, this shift actually brings more excitement into the
show, as well as an unforgettable scene, “Trading
Taps.”
In this scene, the transplanted Irish men encounter a trio of
American tap dancers playing around on a street corner with a
saxophone player. A dance-off ensues with the Irish group
challenging the others to a duel to see whose style is better.
Not only are some of the show’s best moves displayed in
this interaction, but the funniest moments also take place as the
groups comically mock each other with exaggerated imitations.
Nothing is quite so funny, however, as seeing lead Irish dancer
Michael Patrick Gallagher signal for the tap dancers to step up
with a flick of his hand.
This scene demonstrates how dance is not the only reason for
“Riverdance’s” popularity ““ the musical
aspects of the performance are just as worthy of credit. The
“trading of taps” isn’t the only exchange of
culture that occurs. A musical battle between the tap
dancers’ saxophone player and the Irish fiddle player proves
to be just as much a crowd charmer as the dancing.
Niamh NÃ Charra, the only female orchestra member, played
the fiddle at a rapid pace throughout the evening, showing that the
Irish don’t just have fast feet. While the dancers’
ankles spun at light-speed and contorted into unbelievably flexible
positions, Charra played the fiddle faster than seemingly possible,
in addition to tweaking her bow at some unusual angles ““ even
causing one of the strings to break in the middle of the
performance.
Every aspect of “Riverdance” makes the show worth
seeing. From the singing to the orchestrations to the dancing,
everything is unique and has a flair that leaves the crowd wanting
an encore after the show ends. Even the costumes, especially the
female dancers’ brightly colored and sequined outfits, are
amazing.
“Riverdance” has been traveling the world for six
years, with two different companies, performing for some 6.5
million people. With such superb content and energetic delivery,
it’s not difficult to predict that the show will continue
taking the world by storm for many years to come.
MUSICAL: “Riverdance ““ The
Show” is now playing at the Shubert Theatre, 2020 Avenue of
the Stars, Century City, through Feb. 4. Performances are Tuesday
to Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. and
7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased by calling (800) 447-7400.
Prices range from $40 to $70.