23 These colours don't run

24 Yankee Doodle dandy*

Against projected images of America the bikini girl appeared again and paraded across the stage. In the middle of a projected ticker-tape parade troupes were welcomed by the cheering crowds and 12 navy soldiers marched across the stage while the backdrop changed to the Irish flag. Their jackets similar to the aircrew outfit, only this time the hat and trousers were white in stead of blue. Then  Michael marched his troupe back on stage, all in crisp outfits wearing snow-white trousers and stars and stripes tops (the tops were horizontally striped red/white on the left, the right was bright blue with silver stars, the boys wearing white shirts underneath). Their hats were reflecting the stars and stripes as well. Michael’s outfit was slightly different, white shirt, white trousers, bright blue waistcoat with silver stars, white short jacket with red/white sleeve ends/front and bright blue collar. His hat was as the others. All were wearing stars and stripes bow ties, Michael’s mainly striped red/white, the others mainly blue. The troupe was led into a Victory kind of dance, and Michael did a smashing solo, all with Yankee Doodle music. In front of screen filling stars and stripes the dancers all lined up, similar to the Lord of the Dance line up, 26 of them, performing a big finale. In stead of the raised arms this line up one after another saluted their leader, perfectly disciplined up left to right then down right to left. Michael, so happy to be up there, was magic. Then he got everybody on stage, the Latin dancers, the Vikings, the musicians, all of the dancers. There and then we possibly witnessed the happiest man on the planet as he stepped back to let his cast take the applause. You could hear him think – do things get any better than this? No, they surely don’t!

25 Celtic fire II

"More!"

The audience went absolutely mad at this scene, up off their seats, screaming, shouting, stamping, applauding, making enough noise to blow off the NIA roof! Nobody could accept that this had been the last main dance of the evening, we just needed more. Minutes passed by, an intolerable wait. More!

"St Patrick’s Day"
 

No dancers but guitarist John Colohan appeared on stage and kicked off what seemed to be a rock version of St Patrick’s Day. First playing with the fiddlers but then brilliantly going solo, followed by a fantastic drum solo by Jay Duffy. They were stirring us up even further and miles away they must have heard that we were not going to leave without having seen Michael and the troupe one more time.

26 The Celtic Tiger

"Reprise"

<< Click here to download a Music sample of this Celtic Tiger number >>

< Click here to download a Music sample of this Celtic Tiger number >>

While the musicians were playing their last tones and the audience was shouting and screaming an endless line of dancers (30 at least) marched up from the back of the stage. Again they were wearing completely new outfits, this time gorgeous tuxedo’s (only Michael’s including the tails, and white shoes) white socks and bow ties. This was the encore we had been waiting for, a reprise of the Yankee Doodle routine, including the salute, with some slight changes here and there. Memorable was the frozen moment when they all had one leg stretched forward, slightly bending over and holding their index finger to their lips as if to say – hey guys, I am so glad you’re here but this one’s still a secret, don’t tell anyone (oh, my conscience, should I be writing this report at all?). Somehow that was so intimate. We’ll have to wait and see if that move is still in at the official premiere… The audience was wild, one more time!!!! And only the way Michael can do it he was running around, his troupe in position, laughing, provoking the audience – one more time? Yes, YES! We got our second encore, our third, our fourth, fifth…. I lost count. We could not let go. Finally he signaled the inevitable last encore, unforgettably impressive and spectacular, as behind the dancers pyros and fireworks were blazing diagonally across the stage. A big thank you for the audience and the dancers and the stage blacked out. In the midst of the cheers, shouts and screams the place then suddenly felt very silent. What an incredible evening, what a rollercoaster of emotions. This certainly had been the greatest show on earth!

"One more time"

What more can be said about this show. It is very different to what Michael has done before. There is no good versus bad throughout, no lead dancers except Michael, no romance nor sexually charged acts, no fairy tale thread. He promised us something different and he delivered. The routines were spectacular, the choreography taken further than all he did before. The costumes were incredible with superb colors and quality of the finish, and the music top class. Michael Flatley has every reason to be so proud at his creation. The troupe must be the best on the planet, as Michael says. So in-sync, so sharp and slick, and so light and energetic, exploding with joy on the stage from the first moment to the last. More versatile than ever as this is not purely Irish dance but has lots of other dance elements in it. As for Michael, what an incredible show man. After the show we were told that Michael was ten times fitter than any of them – practicing in a big fleece when they were taking a break puffing and sweating. His performances were amazing, very complex and if at all possible faster and sharper than ever. He appeared in almost every number and how he does all this dancing in very heavy clothes is beyond me. Playing two flute numbers, playing the bodhran, even singing with the troupe. And besides his performing skills he created, choreographed, directed, produced and financed the show. He definitely is the best dancer in the world but besides that he definitely is the greatest showman and entertainer on the planet.

It is quite courageous to have such a politically charged first half but it must be said that he does it with skill and taste and unbiased. No one should be disturbed by viewing these facts of history that are presented to reflect the strong spirit of the Irish that “may be bruised but never broken” (Phil Coulter). You can easily just enjoy the dancing and choreography, looking past the symbolism and political message, but the message is an important one aimed at the survivor spirit of the Irish, the true Celtic Tiger. As Michael said in an interview just after the Birmingham show: "The Celtic Tiger is often referred to in the financial pages as Ireland's incredible economic success over the last decade. But I see it as something much more than that, I see it as the heart and soul and spirit of the Irish people. When they got to America, in the beginning they were treated like slaves... and they rose again to become the John F. Kennedys of the New World. It's the show that means the most to be because it's a celebration of the Irish spirit. Somebody had to finally tell that story. I'm Irish-American but my heart is in Ireland."


Audiences from all over the world should be able to see this show. There is so much to take in that we would need to see the show again and again to get through to the deeper meaning of it’s elements. Even then we would probably still miss out on some, but we’ll have to cherish that as it’s charm, to never be done experiencing the show as there will always be something new to see, hear and feel every time we see it.


What an incredible and generous gesture from Michael to invite all of us to share this very special event with him. I have never heard of any celebrity to make such a gesture and probably never will again. What a gent to come out after the show to greet and hug his fans. Birmingham, 17^th June 2005, will never be forgotten by any of us!

* (The Romans never did actually invade Ireland but by 81 A.D., the Romans had sent a relatively small force to help an exiled Irish king regain his throne in the hope of ensuring good relations. In respect of the Celts in general, Romans feared them as warriors and only overcame them with great difficulty and a lot of dirty politics.  The Celts were then absorbed into the Roman legions and became highly prized fighters and mercenaries ).


* (The legend about how St Patrick – 5^th century- drove the snakes from Ireland: The story goes that during the season of Lent, St. Patrick climbed a 2510-foot high peak (now called Croagh Patrick) in order to fast and pray. By the time the Lenten season had ended, all of the snakes of Ireland had gathered to the peak. From there, St. Patrick drove the snakes over the edge and into the sea below, forever ridding Ireland of snakes)

*( The first appearance of the Vikings on the Irish coast is recorded in 795. Thereafter the Norsemen made frequent plundering raids, sometimes far inland. In 838 the Vikings seized and fortified two ports; Annagasson and Dublin. In 840 they invaded the north of the country. These invaders were driven out, but meanwhile the Norse rulers of Dublin extended their power. In 914 Waterford was conquered and four years later the Vikings possessed Limerick too. The decline of Norse power in Ireland began when they lost Limerick in 968, and was finally effected when the Scandinavian allies of Dublin were defeated by "High King Brian Boru" – a giant in legend - at the battle of Clondarf in 1014)

*( On November 21, 1920 Croke Park in North Dublin was the scene of a massacre. While people were watching a Dublin vs. Tipperary football match British soldiers raided the ground, shooting indiscriminately into the crowd killing 13. The dead included 11 spectators and 2 players. This massacre, which became known as Bloody Sunday, was a reprisal for the assassination of 14 British intelligence officers by Michael Collins’ G Squad/IRA earlier that day)

*(The Easter Uprising of 1916 was a pivotal event in Ireland's recent history. Before the Easter Uprising, few in Ireland were overt supporters of the rebels. After the 1916 Uprising, those involved achieved the status of heroes. The General Post Office is now most associated with the rebels The rebels based their headquarters at the GPO in what is now O’Connell Street. Patrick Pearse announced the creation of the Republic of Ireland from the Post Office)

*(Tradition has it that Yankee Doodle had its origins in the French and Indian War when New England troops joined Braddock's forces at Niagara. In contrast to the spit and polish of the British army, the colonials were a motley crew, some wearing buckskins and furs. Dr. Richard Schuckburg, a British Army surgeon reportedly wrote the tune ridiculing the Americans in the early 1750s. Some scholars believe it is a variant of the nursery rhyme Lucy Locket. Despite the fact it began as ridicule, the colonials took the song for their own. Countless versions and parodies evolved, many of which made fun of their officers, including George Washington. These verses are included at the end of the tune. When Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown it is said while the British played “The world upside down”, the Americans played Yankee Doodle)

Program Book list of numbers:

Act 1:

The Heartbeat of the Tiger
Dancing in the Dark
St Patrick
The Sleeping Tiger
The Vikings
Celtic Fire
The Garden of Eden
The Red Coats
The Famine
Four Green Fields
Bloody Sunday
A Call to Arms
The 1916 Rising
The Banshee
A Nation Once Again

Act two:

Freedom
A New World
The Last Rose
Celtic Kittens
Capone
Forever Free
Cowboy Cheerleaders
These Colors Don't Run
Yankee Doodle Dandee
Celtic Fire II
The Celtic Tiger

The dancers: 

Michael Flatley

Lisa Anderson
Cherie Butler
Ciaran Connolly
Martin Connolly
Siobhan Connolly
Arlene Cooke
Sarah Doherty
Alison Epson
David Folan
Odette Galea
Liam Gilligan
Jason Gorman
Damon Griffiths
Cassandra Halloran
Mark Hennessy
Niall Holly
Joanne Kavanagh
Alan Kenefick
Katie Kerrigan
Maeve Madden
Debbie Maquire
Rachel Martin
Perri McCall
Kathleen McCarthy
Brian McEnteggart
Leigh Ann McKenna
Kevin McVittie
Niamh O'Brien
Damien O'Dochartaigh
Roisin O'Donnell
Zoltan Papp
Gary Pender
Chris Piper
Katie Pomeret
Sarah Redmond
Claire Regan
Margaret Revis
Stefan Setiawan
Natalie Somerville
Keagan van Dooren
Adrian Walker
Stephen Walker
Justin Walsh

Musicians:
John Colohan
Brenda Curtin
Jason Duffy
Maire Egan
Niamh Gallagher
Paul Harrington
Aongus Ralson
Cora Smyth

Vocalists:
Paul Harrington
Eimear Quinn