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Riverdance - Live from Radio City Music Hall
BBC Worldwide // Unrated // February 19, 2008
List Price: $34.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
It's amazing to think that Riverdance, the eclectic Irish footstorm of a spectacle, spurned from a compact 7-minute competition piece. Since then, over its nearly 15-year history, the "phenomenon" has split off into several regional performing companies and made its way into common culture across the globe. Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall celebrates one of the company's initial North American performances, one that resonates with mesmerizing energy and thriving cultural radiance.
The Show:
Fully appreciating how pivotal this Radio City performance is in particular takes a little historical reference, all material I learned shortly after viewing. At the start, when Riverdance first throbbed and flickered into existence, Michael Flatley (aka "Lord of the Dance") headed the cast's line-up. Days before a string of performances started in London, he pulled out at the last minute due to creative differences. In steps Irish dancing champion Colin Dunne, who had double-digits in hours to prepare for his stand-in role. Not only would he step up to the challenge, but he ended up delivering a performance that would accomplish something stunning for Riverdance: ensuring that the show itself and its performers have their own draw and charisma.
Following shortly after this successful realization, Riverdance's trip over to Radio City Music Hall would soon become a subsequent affirmation for composer Bill Wheldon and producer Moya Doherty to the longevity of the troupe. Riverdance - Live in Radio City Music Hall features one of the more electric performances from the group, probably because they were still fresh and hungry from the success of their initial short performance just two years back in '94. They underwent shifts in dynamics within that interval timeframe that ultimately culled into a striking array of beautiful numbers assembled together in this hour-and-a-half long exhibition. That fire can be seen in the eyes and bodily moments of the performers, giving the show a buoyant level of magic that never really sinks throughout its time. Adding fuel to the flame, Radio City Music Hall looks absolutely marvelous for their performance.
One thing many might not realize about Riverdance is that the event doesn't feature 100% dancing from start to finish, though the brisk Irish jig footwork undoubtedly displays the true magnetic intensity of the performances. The production also integrates Irish folklore, choral performances, and orchestral numbers from an assorted band featuring traditional Irish instruments. Instead of just fiery footwork, Riverdance becomes a usurping experience rife with enchanting culture that breaks enough in momentum to become more than just a spectacle. It becomes a sight for the eyes and ears in more of an in-motion cultural portrait than just an impressively dizzying dance number.
Many different dance styles intermingle with the Irish tap here, giving the show an attitude that blends cultures together in an effortless way. American tap finds its way into the scene with the famous "Trading Taps" number, while Maria Pages infuses a sensuous flamenco attitude throughout the entire show - most prominent in her breathtaking "Firedance" performance. One of the more compelling elements to Riverdance's performances is seeing how these different styles integrate with the core fluidity of the show's intense signature footwork. However, to say that the lead dancers Jean Butler and Colin Dunne seamlessly meld into the crowd would be a stretch; their magnetism, both separate and together, really gives the performance a standout hero and heroine to "root for". Even though their talents glow a little brighter than the others, it's only by a thin margin that doesn't even approach engulfing the cast's fluent gravitas.
Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall, as a performance, is brilliant entertainment. The ways the sounds and sights echo in the fantastic theater are enchanting. On film, it loses only a shard of its magic through rapid editing and swift camera movements. Capturing the performance on camera and remastering it for home audience makes an opportunity available to display the beautiful music and thunderous taps in a focused, concentrated fashion. The editing utilized in this assembly is very rapid, at times a bit too sharply cut for the audience's entranced eyes. Still, most of the camerawork captures and flows with the bustling activity on stage fairly well, only failing to grasp the majesty of the choral performances to much effectiveness. Nevertheless, Radio City's live Riverdance performance marked a major vaulting point for modern dance popularity in the mid-'90s. It's a performance filled with legit vivacity and ingenuity that would fuel a worldwide interest in Irish dance that still resonates many years after.
The DVD:
Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall comes equipped from BBC Video in a very attractive two-disc "book" digipack presentation (think Universal Legacy Series).
The Video:
Presented in what appears to be around a 1.75:1 or so anamorphic image, Riverdance - Live From Radio City Music Hallcaptures a relatively suitable image, though it suffers a fair amount from softness issues. Color levels seem very apt and bold, which helps the stage work and the colorful lighting jump from the screen. However, there is a shade of digitization and combing here and there, rendering a fairly grainy image. There's even several scene where the grain gets fairly heavy, unfortunately. When any shot is distanced from the dancers, expect to see nothing but bodies and flailing limbs; discernible facial structures are only seen in closely framed shots, turning into muddy blobs bouncing atop dancing torsos when the camera hovers from any length away. This image could probably be better, but it still serves its relative purpose here.
The Audio:
Audio options are available in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo, as well as in DTS surround. First and foremost, the heavy rapping of shoes sounds very nice across the board; it's rhythmic and distortion free, clogging with strength through the speakers. Secondly, the musical strength manages to stay quite strong as well. Everything from the bagpipes to the violin gracefully fills the stage. Bringing up the rear, the vocal strength wanes a bit in spots, making it so the voices are beautiful but a little difficult to make out in context. It's a fairly strong line-up of mixes, winner of course being the DTS track. Though both the surround options sounded pretty similar, the DTS track gets a few points for sounding a little more "echoed" and lavish. It makes the experience feel just a hair more natural - but nothing worth fretting about if you can't decode the track. English SDH captions are available.
The Extras:
This two-disc presentation surprised me with a few quality, and rather lengthy, special features about Riverdance itself. Here's what the afterthought supplements include:
Riverdance: The Documentary - 10 Years:
This 58-minute documentary chronicles the full pathway leading up to present-day Riverdance activities. It fleshes out the full story, heavily concentrating on the origins of the group and their pathway towards Radio city. A lot is explained about the departure of Michal Flatley, as well as the spread of Riverdance across country lines. Though it stays focused through most of the piece, it gets a little chirpy and self-indulgent later on. It features a lot of on-screen time from composer Whelan and producer Doherty, expressing their elation with Riverdance's successes.
Riverdance in China:
Though it doesn't concentrate on the performance at-hand, this hour-long feature illustrates the pathway and building anticipation for the troop's performance in China's Great Hall of the People. It give s a bit about China's history, along with featuring some lengthy clips of the performance as well.
Riverdance on the BBC's Pebble Mill:
This piece features an interview with Jean Butler on the BBC, as well as a candid performance from Riverdance on the set. It features another concoction of "Trading Taps" done with soft pastels and Celtic lighting on the stage.
-----
Final Thoughts:
Live from Radio City is a great Riverdance performance, one that stands as a pivotal rotation point for the group. It showcases Colin Dunne in his introductory moments with Riverdance, displaying his chemistry with Jean Butler as they pair up as the core dancers. Everything exudes radiant energy, from Pages' flamenco-inspired performance to the myriad of chorale accompaniments that grasp the more heartfelt and resonant Irish mythology along with the dancing. BBC's two-disc collector's edition looks mediocre and sounds fine, but also comes with a few solid extras that help the package feel much more worthwhile. Together, if you're a fan of the Irish artform or of their culture, then Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall is a solid Recommendation.
Thomas Spurlin, Staff Reviewer -- DVDTalk Reviews | Personal Blog/Site
The Show:
Fully appreciating how pivotal this Radio City performance is in particular takes a little historical reference, all material I learned shortly after viewing. At the start, when Riverdance first throbbed and flickered into existence, Michael Flatley (aka "Lord of the Dance") headed the cast's line-up. Days before a string of performances started in London, he pulled out at the last minute due to creative differences. In steps Irish dancing champion Colin Dunne, who had double-digits in hours to prepare for his stand-in role. Not only would he step up to the challenge, but he ended up delivering a performance that would accomplish something stunning for Riverdance: ensuring that the show itself and its performers have their own draw and charisma.
Following shortly after this successful realization, Riverdance's trip over to Radio City Music Hall would soon become a subsequent affirmation for composer Bill Wheldon and producer Moya Doherty to the longevity of the troupe. Riverdance - Live in Radio City Music Hall features one of the more electric performances from the group, probably because they were still fresh and hungry from the success of their initial short performance just two years back in '94. They underwent shifts in dynamics within that interval timeframe that ultimately culled into a striking array of beautiful numbers assembled together in this hour-and-a-half long exhibition. That fire can be seen in the eyes and bodily moments of the performers, giving the show a buoyant level of magic that never really sinks throughout its time. Adding fuel to the flame, Radio City Music Hall looks absolutely marvelous for their performance.
One thing many might not realize about Riverdance is that the event doesn't feature 100% dancing from start to finish, though the brisk Irish jig footwork undoubtedly displays the true magnetic intensity of the performances. The production also integrates Irish folklore, choral performances, and orchestral numbers from an assorted band featuring traditional Irish instruments. Instead of just fiery footwork, Riverdance becomes a usurping experience rife with enchanting culture that breaks enough in momentum to become more than just a spectacle. It becomes a sight for the eyes and ears in more of an in-motion cultural portrait than just an impressively dizzying dance number.
Many different dance styles intermingle with the Irish tap here, giving the show an attitude that blends cultures together in an effortless way. American tap finds its way into the scene with the famous "Trading Taps" number, while Maria Pages infuses a sensuous flamenco attitude throughout the entire show - most prominent in her breathtaking "Firedance" performance. One of the more compelling elements to Riverdance's performances is seeing how these different styles integrate with the core fluidity of the show's intense signature footwork. However, to say that the lead dancers Jean Butler and Colin Dunne seamlessly meld into the crowd would be a stretch; their magnetism, both separate and together, really gives the performance a standout hero and heroine to "root for". Even though their talents glow a little brighter than the others, it's only by a thin margin that doesn't even approach engulfing the cast's fluent gravitas.
Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall, as a performance, is brilliant entertainment. The ways the sounds and sights echo in the fantastic theater are enchanting. On film, it loses only a shard of its magic through rapid editing and swift camera movements. Capturing the performance on camera and remastering it for home audience makes an opportunity available to display the beautiful music and thunderous taps in a focused, concentrated fashion. The editing utilized in this assembly is very rapid, at times a bit too sharply cut for the audience's entranced eyes. Still, most of the camerawork captures and flows with the bustling activity on stage fairly well, only failing to grasp the majesty of the choral performances to much effectiveness. Nevertheless, Radio City's live Riverdance performance marked a major vaulting point for modern dance popularity in the mid-'90s. It's a performance filled with legit vivacity and ingenuity that would fuel a worldwide interest in Irish dance that still resonates many years after.
The DVD:
Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall comes equipped from BBC Video in a very attractive two-disc "book" digipack presentation (think Universal Legacy Series).
The Video:
Presented in what appears to be around a 1.75:1 or so anamorphic image, Riverdance - Live From Radio City Music Hallcaptures a relatively suitable image, though it suffers a fair amount from softness issues. Color levels seem very apt and bold, which helps the stage work and the colorful lighting jump from the screen. However, there is a shade of digitization and combing here and there, rendering a fairly grainy image. There's even several scene where the grain gets fairly heavy, unfortunately. When any shot is distanced from the dancers, expect to see nothing but bodies and flailing limbs; discernible facial structures are only seen in closely framed shots, turning into muddy blobs bouncing atop dancing torsos when the camera hovers from any length away. This image could probably be better, but it still serves its relative purpose here.
The Audio:
Audio options are available in Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 Stereo, as well as in DTS surround. First and foremost, the heavy rapping of shoes sounds very nice across the board; it's rhythmic and distortion free, clogging with strength through the speakers. Secondly, the musical strength manages to stay quite strong as well. Everything from the bagpipes to the violin gracefully fills the stage. Bringing up the rear, the vocal strength wanes a bit in spots, making it so the voices are beautiful but a little difficult to make out in context. It's a fairly strong line-up of mixes, winner of course being the DTS track. Though both the surround options sounded pretty similar, the DTS track gets a few points for sounding a little more "echoed" and lavish. It makes the experience feel just a hair more natural - but nothing worth fretting about if you can't decode the track. English SDH captions are available.
The Extras:
This two-disc presentation surprised me with a few quality, and rather lengthy, special features about Riverdance itself. Here's what the afterthought supplements include:
Riverdance: The Documentary - 10 Years:
This 58-minute documentary chronicles the full pathway leading up to present-day Riverdance activities. It fleshes out the full story, heavily concentrating on the origins of the group and their pathway towards Radio city. A lot is explained about the departure of Michal Flatley, as well as the spread of Riverdance across country lines. Though it stays focused through most of the piece, it gets a little chirpy and self-indulgent later on. It features a lot of on-screen time from composer Whelan and producer Doherty, expressing their elation with Riverdance's successes.
Riverdance in China:
Though it doesn't concentrate on the performance at-hand, this hour-long feature illustrates the pathway and building anticipation for the troop's performance in China's Great Hall of the People. It give s a bit about China's history, along with featuring some lengthy clips of the performance as well.
Riverdance on the BBC's Pebble Mill:
This piece features an interview with Jean Butler on the BBC, as well as a candid performance from Riverdance on the set. It features another concoction of "Trading Taps" done with soft pastels and Celtic lighting on the stage.
-----
Final Thoughts:
Live from Radio City is a great Riverdance performance, one that stands as a pivotal rotation point for the group. It showcases Colin Dunne in his introductory moments with Riverdance, displaying his chemistry with Jean Butler as they pair up as the core dancers. Everything exudes radiant energy, from Pages' flamenco-inspired performance to the myriad of chorale accompaniments that grasp the more heartfelt and resonant Irish mythology along with the dancing. BBC's two-disc collector's edition looks mediocre and sounds fine, but also comes with a few solid extras that help the package feel much more worthwhile. Together, if you're a fan of the Irish artform or of their culture, then Riverdance - Live at Radio City Music Hall is a solid Recommendation.
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