AS a child of the 1990s, like many others, I was taken by my family to see Michael Flatley perform in Lord of the Dance.

I remember being mesmerised by the Irish music, the bright lights and the sheer energy and harisma of the dancers, who were impressive individually, but outstanding when unified.

So my expectations were high and I couldn’t wait to hear the mass of feet stomp up another storm.

And I wasn’t disappointed. This classic yet simple story of good versus evil, played out beautifully through the universal language of dance, was as powerful and sweet as I remembered and the audience were clearly lapping it up, hypnotised by the tantalising sound of toes tapping up and down the stage in perfect unison.

However, as amazing as this performance was, it was incredibly basic and I couldn’t help but feel that it belonged back in the ’90s.

I know the simplicity of this show is part of its unique charm, but it all felt a bit disjointed and unfortunately I found myself siding with the uber marvellous but “evil ” Don Dorcha who had much more stage presence and charisma than the supposed “Lord of the Dance”.

For me, I’m afraid, "Lord" lacked character, expression and gravitas which made the fight between good and evil weak and the battle of the babes lacklustre.

For this reason, it wasn’t until the very end that the audience was really entranced, clapping and cheering for more.

This was, despite drawbacks, a highly entertaining performance and definitely a show to experience but I wonder; is there ever going to be another Lord of the Dance that can rightly step into the shiny shoes of Mr Flatley and cast a spell over the audience as he did?

I have high hopes for the rest of the week but Lord of the Dance be warned - give it some welly and make it your own!

Emily Buist 8/10