THERE’S no disputing that Michael Flatley’s Riverdance spin-off is immensely popular.

The show has been seen by more than 50m people in 60 different countries and at the Empire Theatre on Monday night it won a regular Liverpool standing ovation.

Based on that performance, however, Lord of the Dance isn’t as loyal to its fans as it is to them – it feels tired, stuck in the 1990s and soulless.

There’s a story of sorts – the Little Spirit, a harlequin piper, travels through time to help the Lord of the Dance protect his people from dark lord Don Dorcha – but it’s barely discernible without first reading a synopsis.

You can tell the Lord of the Dance because he’s the one wearing a sparkly cummerbund with his name on, which the dark lord snatches from him in a battle of dance.

It’s cheesy without an element of humour saving it from its self-indulgence. All the best elements of Irish traditional culture are here and yet they are bleached of life – the music becomes insipid or downright tacky, the dancing repetitive.

With hugely backcombed hair and faces plastered with make-up, the female dancers resemble overdone beauty queens – an impression that gets stronger when they whip off their pretty dresses to continue the number in their black underwear.

Yet there’s an incredible amount of talent featured – in the 20-odd dancers, a singer and a pair of violinists, the latter managing to play beautifully while stomping around the stage.

Occasionally, there are glimpses of what Lord of the Dance might be – a vibrant all-male piece performed without music, the rhythm beaten out by the taps of their shoes. Flatley seems more comfortable choreographing for men.

Just because a show will sell out houses with little effort doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any. Lord of the Dance is desperately in need of a revamp, if it is to give its loyal fans the respect they deserve.

Laura Davis