Peacock Theatre, London.
29 August 2025.
If you’re after a stirring, toe-tapping, visual spectacle of Irish dance, then Éireann by A Taste of Ireland is your show!
With slick costume changes illustrating Ireland through history, great onstage energy and charisma, Pace Live presented a diverse and exciting programme of Irish music and dance. Director Brent Pace described Éireann as telling Ireland’s story through live camera work, bold video design and imaginative sound: “A Love letter to Ireland.”
Two Acts, and two unique openings. The first began behind gauze on a darkened open stage. Performers sauntered on and began stretching, a low reverberating hum in the background. As auditorium lights lowered, we were immediately introduced to the atmospheric scenery – a cloth backdrop with projected forests and landscapes, ever-changing in rich colours, lots of warm, earthy hues. Spoken word in a deep male voice, over the solo violin played onstage by Megan McGinley and a female soloist who entered in white, wandering lost among the fast-filling stage of dancers in heavy shoes. The combination here of the fast, beautifully synchronised rhythmic footwork and the powerful lighting was both mesmerising and rousing. At times, the sound of the footwork got lost over the music volume and was a little muffled when unaccompanied. The stage itself is reasonably deep, so the closer dancers were to the foot microphones at the front of the stage the better.
I really enjoyed the mix of dance and live onstage music (there was also a recorded soundtrack) by passionate musicians Megan McGinley, banjo player Eamonn O’Sullivan and guitarist and musical director Aaron O’Grady. At one point, they played a gorgeous lilting lyrical trio, whilst a solo dancer holding a rose moved among them.
While storyline details were often hard to decipher, and a greater understanding of Ireland’s history was not achieved through watching, Act One in particular offered great variety and innovative presentation, such as soloist Julia O’Rourke dressed in red, wielding a trident. As she danced, she was followed by an onstage videographer, the footage streamed simultaneously onto three lowered columns overhead.
A uplifting group number stood out. Full of joy with men dressed in brown trousers and white tops and women in corseted short dresses in a variety of patterns and colours. Lots of cheering and onstage interaction. Lots of use of the moveable stage blocks to create eye-catching patterns and levels.
Costumes designed by Jacki Cottom were fresh and exciting, and there were a lot of them! The last dance before the interval saw females in red cropped basques and black sparkling shorts.
Act Two opened with vocalist Brian Ó Broin, breaking into song standing in amongst the audience during the interval. It immediately hushed the interval chatter and the male cast who entered via an auditorium door, followed him onto the stage.
Ó Broin’s voice was fairly strained this evening in parts and a couple of lighting issues where he wasn’t lit, but there were some great entertaining moments of rapport between both members themselves and the cast and the audience, who joined in clapping, cheering and singing along with folk songs; “On the banks of the royal canal.”
Principal dancer Gavin Shevlin held the audience in the palm of his hand during his unaccompanied solo in which he wowed with impeccable technique, building rhythms up slowly to incredible speed – to great applause! Feigning exhaustion, he made to stop a couple of times but encouraged by the audience continued the spectacular display.
The male dancers in particular were a very strong group, bringing unified power and characterisation to the dances. Their personalities really shone through, fabulous stage presentation to accompany technical brilliance.
A lovely number that also stood out was a contrasting piece with females dancing barefoot and men in hard shoes depicting the 19th century famine. The onstage camera projection was used again here, adding an extra dimension to the action, especially when they as a group leaned into the camera, turned away from the audience, but their faces were projected on the columns above.
It’s possible that this show could have had greater impact by condensing all the best bits into a one-act extravaganza, as the second act particularly seemed to wander a little and extended longer than was probably needed.
That said, Éireann was a huge crowd pleaser and its energy and popular music choices much appreciated – both music and dance, by the audience.
By Louise Ryrie of Dance Informa.
