New Lord of the Dance show, created, produced, choreographed and directed by Michael Flatley, will be starting in Liverpool before embarking on a 23-venue UK tour. Andrew Wright reports.

Following a 2015 sold out UK tour, the cast will be taking Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games, on a nationwide tour between January and April 2017, two decades on from Michael Flatley showcasing his innovative choreography at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest.

And the Liverpool Empire Theatre has been announced as the opening location.

The original Lord of the Dance show premiered at the Coliseum in London twenty years ago, and in 2014 Michael Flatley transformed the show, reworking it for loyal fans and newer audiences alike.

The new show, with music by composer Gerard Fahy, premiered at the London Palladium in September 2014  and has since gone on to enjoy successful runs in the West End, Broadway, the US, Canada, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games tour will combine elements of the original Lord of the Dance with new staging, costumes and choreography, world champion acrobats, special effects lighting, dancing robots and a giant Radiant flat screen that spans the width of the stage.

The new Michael Flatley DANCE Academy will be working in conjunction with the show to bring pop-up sessions to dance enthusiasts throughout the tour.

Michael Flatley comments: “Our fans in the UK have been incredibly loyal for the last 20 years and many of my talented dancers hail from diverse parts of the country. We have a world-class cast, many of whom will be performing in their home cities and I am delighted to be able to showcase their remarkable talent.”

Lord of the Dance: Dangerous Games UK Tour 2017 comes to the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Monday 9 January to Saturday 14 January for seven performances. Tickets are on sale now.