The first performance of Clann Lir at Siamsa Tire's own lovely theatre in Tralee received a standing ovation. The Irish mythological tale is not easy to convey through dance but, as devised by Siamsa Tire's Core Group and Company under John Sheehan's direction, with lyrics by Terrence McQuinn set to traditional airs (arranged by musical director and keyboard player Eoin McQuinn) and choreography by Mary Nunan (assisted by Rionach Ni Neill), the plot and its transformation scenes with children turning into swans, a wicked Queen into a winged demon and swans into very old people is clear.
The choreography successfully combines the footwork of traditional Irish folk dance with contemporary arm and body movement. This beautifully suggests the swans' agitated flutterings, the steady beat of their wings in flight formation and their battling against storms on the Sea of Moyle. There were nice touches like the exclusion of Charlotte Tansley's evil Queen from the family circle, communication by repeated foot-tapping rhythms and Lir and his court moving off backwards to achieve the departure of the swans. Only the three brothers' reunion with Fionnuala, looking remarkably swanlike on her rock, might have been improved by the greater use of contemporary dance.
As the swans, the core professional group of Anne Herbert, Catherine Spangler, Jonathan Kelliher and Olive Hurley (also Dance Master) were outstanding, while Michael Murphy doubled a dignified Lir with a devout Hermit. The young dancers playing the children were excellent, though I cannot see why the Young Fiachra wore skirts, since all swans were identically costumed (by Leonore McDonagh) so Spangler's sex was no problem. The singers, doubling leads, chorus and musicians were splendid, while Ben Hennessy's Ogham-inscribed standing stones, becoming rocks and, later, a dolmen as the Celtic Pearly Gates (all dramatically lit by Jimmy McDonnell) contributed greatly to this fine production.
