Guardians of Grail

cheapbag214s · Posted: Tue 15:11, 08 Oct 2013 Post subject: Is this the end of the line

Is this the end of the line
And so it shall end the way it began: with mini-skirted colleens and leather-panted boyos stomping their feet while the audience cheers.
Yes, the big news is that Riverdance - the combination of New Age Irish music, rapid-fire footwork, folksy charm and G-rated sex appeal, which has been pleasing audiences for 15 years - is planning to hang up its shoes . sort of.
The production that starts performances May19 at the Canon Theatre is being billed as its "farewell tour" and it's wending its way through every city the show has ever played in Europe and North America, just to say goodbye.
But is this a genuine last kick at the can? Or is it like the tours that Charles Aznavour and Cher keep announcing, only to return as regularly as Wiarton Willie does each Feb.2?
"No, this is the real thing," insists Julian Erskine, the senior executive producer of all things Riverdance. "There are no plans to return to any of these venues in the immediate future."
But it doesn't mean that those Gaelic feet will go tapping off into the twilight. Far from it.
"Riverdance is moving into new territories," says Erskine. "Just as Europe and North America opened up to us 15 years ago, the Far East is opening up to us now. We tried to get into Asia, South America and Africa before, but we never made it. Now the time is right."
While it's true that some fans will shed a shamrock-shaped tear over its departure, a lot of other people will sigh with relief.
Riverdance became such a huge success so quickly and spawned so many imitators, it was only natural it should also become the butt of endless jokes.
I remember a Second City sketch in the mid-1990s, when a Henry Kissinger character observed the antics of Riverdance's then-resident stud, Michael Flatley, and dryly observed,[url=http://rogervivierheelssale.webstarts.com/][b]roger vivier heels sale[/b][/url], "If he's straight, then I'm Chaka Khan."
As the years rolled on, it seemed like every TV show took a shot at Riverdance, from Family Guy to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Then last year,[url=http://billigmonclerjackenkaufen.olimx.com/][b]http://billigmonclerjackenkaufen.olimx.com/[/b][/url], at the Eurovision Song Contest, an Irish children's entertainer named Dustin the Turkey brought down the house when he sang, "Give us another chance, we're sorry for Riverdance!"
The location was significant because it was at Eurovision in 1994 when Riverdance first burst upon an unsuspecting world and turned step-dancing from a folk hobby to a world obsession. The brainchild of producers Moya Doherty and John McColgan, the original impetus behind Riverdance was the need to combine traditional Irish culture with a more modern view of the country itself.
"There was a new Ireland, a more sophisticated Ireland,[url=http://rogervivierheelssale.webstarts.com/][b]roger vivier heels sale online store[/b][/url], and we're proud to speak to that," says Erskine proudly. "It's always been one of our biggest pleasures to be able to show people that the old-fashioned Hollywood view of Ireland is a thing of the past. There's a lot more going on than Barry Fitzgerald and the pigs in the parlour."
The music that Bill Whelan composed for the original Riverdance set the tone for the whole event, mixing a folk-like melody with a sense of modern rhythmic urgency, all enveloped in a warm and gooey New Age embrace. When that united with a chorus of tightly drilled dancers performing with state-of-the-art lighting and sound, it blew audiences away.
That came as a surprise to everyone, including the show's creators.
"The original plan was to do four weeks in Dublin in 1995, then pack up and get on with our lives," says Erskine with a laugh.
But the audiences wouldn't hear of it. "The show generated such enthusiasm that it began to have a life of its own."
"I know that some people like to think that Riverdance was Ireland's plan for world domination, but we never intended it that way at all!"
Eventually there would be four companies criss-crossing the globe, including one put together specifically for the show's smash 18-month run on Broadway.
The bottom line: Riverdance has been seen live by more than 21 million people in 32 countries and played to a worldwide television audience of nearly 2 billion,[url=http://woolrichparkaschweiz.albirank.net/][b]cheap woolrich winter coats[/b][/url].
But why? On the surface, there's something simple - if not downright simplistic - about the show. The choreography requires stamina, but not real artistry; the music all soon sounds the same, and how many misty moons can you see rise on the backdrop before ennui sets in?
Some people thought that dance superstar Michael Flatley was the show's secret weapon, but he quit (or was fired,[url=http://woolrichoutletdeutschland.halod.com/][b]Woolrich Herren outlet deutschland[/b][/url], depending on whose story you believe) shortly into the beginning of Riverdance's journey.
"I don't let any negative energy come into my life to the best of my ability - that's the best way to carry on," said Flatley at the time, and he went on to mount his own successful spin-off, Lord of the Dance, and numerous other projects.
Erskine's terse comment on the issue: "We've been 15 years on the road now. Michael was in the show for 15 weeks."
Yes,[url=http://peutereyoutletitaliaonline.olimx.com/][b]Peuterey Uomo[/b][/url], Riverdance seemed unbeatable for a long time, with numerous producers trying to duplicate its success (see sidebar). Even Mirvish Productions, which is presenting the upcoming five-week engagement, attempted its own take on the formula with Needfire: Passion of the Heart in 1998.
But there's no denying that a lot of the bloom is off this Irish rose. There's only one company touring now, not four,[url=http://duveticaitaliaoutlet.webmium.com/][b]duvetica down jackets[/b][/url], and in Toronto,[url=http://giuseppezanottisneakerssale.olimx.com/][b]giuseppe zanotti sneakers sale[/b][/url], where the show sold out three runs in 1997, 1998 and 1999, the advance sale,[url=http://duveticaukoutlet.halod.com/][b]Duvetica Outlet[/b][/url], according to Erskine,[url=http://parajumperssalenorge.albirank.net/][b]http://parajumperssalenorge.albirank.net/[/b][/url], is at 60 per cent.
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