Lord of the Dance
Lord of the Dance
Milton Keynes (UK Tour)
(Review Complete)
"More produced, less organic performance"
23rd June 2026
This is one of the most difficult reviews I have had to write in a long time of attending UK tours at the Milton Keynes Theatre. But I have to be truthful as I see it. So here goes.
But after watching this performance, I’m left wondering: what exactly did I just witness? and while the energy and precision of the dancers, singers and musicians remain extremely impressive, this visit to Milton Keynes Theatre feels more like a polished recording than a live stage experience. And a little self-indulgent for Michael himself. This I felt took away from the talented dance troupe, singers and performers.
My first disappointment was backing tracks for the music (and extremely loud may I add) and not a live band. For a 30th Anniversary tour, I expected the producers would have been pushing the boat out to celebrate!
Much, if not all the tap percussion is clearly overdubbed onto a backing track, rather than coming naturally from the stage. This I felt discredited the talents of the all the dancers.
You can see the dancers’ feet moving in time, but the sound feels disconnected and pre-recorded, it did not vary in sound, (for example a group of dancers or a couple still had the same volume front of house). This would have not happened if it was coming from their feet on the stage.
Even the fiddle players (who were playing their fiddles extremely well), were undercut by the heavy backing tracks, stripping away their work of genuine authenticity. It feels a shame that, for such a landmark tour, the production team could not have invested in a full live band to match the scale of the choreography.
There were no programmes to look at, so luckily, I managed to get one from the merchandise stall and was able to find cast names. According to the programme, there were four lords of the dance, but the load of the dance we saw was not among them. There is no denying that Andras Kren (I think it was) was a brilliant dancer but lacked acting authority. The little spirit (Evia Hayter) Mimed the playing of the Irish whistle, shame, as it was just the same tune all the time that she played. Erin the Goddess (Cleo Griffin) came out to sing and a beautiful voice but seemed to be there for a costume change for the rest of the cast backstage. The dark lord (Alastair Spencer) was very good, but the fight scene between the lord of the dance and the dark lord, lacked passion and seemed to be going through the motions. Moririghan (Bella Rogers) shone out for me with some good contemporary dance routines.
The structure of the production also lacked cohesion. Scenes felt fragmented and jumped from one routine to the next without clear context or flow. Dance – black out – dance – blackout.
A simple narrator or linking dialogue would have helped tell the story and guide the audience through the different moods and themes, making the whole evening feel more purposeful.
That said, the dancers are undeniably talented—their speed, stamina, and synchronization are still a sight to behold, and the lighting and staging keep things visually engaging. It’s not a bad show, but it falls short of the live magic you hope for.
There is a 3-minute video of not one but three Michael Flatley's dancing as he would have 30 years ago. This happened Just before the end of the show, so that the cast can get changed for a finale I guess or was it an encore? Not sure.
At the end of the video, some of the audience clapped, but it came across as a little self-indulgent yet again. I would have rather skipped the video and watch them dance in the costumes they were already standing in. I feel the video was totally unnecessary and took away from the talented cast of the evening.
The lord of the dance could have been better considering it was celebrating 30 years of standing ovations; it lacked a full standing ovation from the audience that I attended with.
As a comment from Michael in the programme states, “I’ve got the greatest team of dancers in the world”. I agree totally, so let them be the stars of the show! The show feels like it is Michael Flatley re-living a phenomenon that was 30 years ago. At a time when it took the world by storm, when ‘Lord of the Dance’ and ‘River Dance’ could do no wrong.
Please be your own judge. If you’re a long-time fan, you’ll still enjoy the spectacle; just be prepared for a more produced, less organic performance.
Reviewer: Mark Bilsby.
Photography: Copyright at source
We are Gifted tickets so that in return we may give an honest review. All comments are those of the reviewer and theirs alone.