CHAMPIONS OF DANCE
Peacock Stage, Abbey Theatre
★★★★☆
The Lords of Strut may have danced into our hearts, but their rise to fame is an untold story. Now, this important historical play on the stage of our National Theatre charts their rise from birth (literally) to that breakthrough performance at Danzapalooza. Full of ripping yarns, poignant monologues and bust-out moves it shows how these great dancers are also great actors: they even understand the fourth wall.
By the end, we don’t just know them, we understand them. That tiny curl of sadness that always lingers at the side of Famous Seamus’s smile? That’s the repression of the cruelty shown towards dance by his father, Mel Gibson (and his numerous attempts to murder the two brothers). Seán-tastic’s constant puppy dog eagerness to please? Possibly a deep-seated dependency on his controlling mother before her tragic death at Danzapalooza. But despite life’s knocks, they still remain committed to make the world better through dance. Inspirational.
