The Magic of Ireland casts a spell on Cowichan

The Magic Of Ireland appears in the Cowichan Theatre Thursday, promising live music, song and dance that’s the reel deal form the Emerald Isle.

But South Wales critic Tony Heath stresses Magic isn’t a sappy Riverdance –clone clad in green.

“The Magic of Ireland troupe's adaptation echoes the past as the dancers seem to fly across the stage to the beat of the bodhron and the soaring notes of the fiddle,” he said.

“Great music, dancing and singing by performers of zipping quality and enthusiasm make you want to clap in time - which a full house soon cottoned on to... Magic exports happily over the Irish Sea."

The musical production has toured extensively throughout the U.K. and Europe, performing over 400 shows.

The cast consists of 10 to 12 regular members, all champion lrish dancers.

They’re accompanied by up to five multi-instrumentalists singing and playing the accordion, fiddle, guitar, Bahrain, pipes, whistles and flutes.

Magic runs nearly two hours and includes 16 costume changes.

Evoking a time and place steeped in legend, folk-lore and enchantment, The Magic of Ireland offers an authentic Irish cultural experience, troupe brass says.

The show is all live, featuring an example of some of the finest competition award-winning dancers accompanied by traditional musicians.

The shimmering show was crated 10 years ago, the brainchild of Peter Jacobs, promoter of the hit Irish-dance show Gael Force.

But Jacobs realized Irish shows ignored the most important elements of Irish dance and music cherished by audiences worldwide: the haunting sound of the pipes, the energizing sound of the taps, the deep rhythms of the bodhrán and the shrill cry of the fiddle – the best of the Irish experience.

In 2001, he recruited musical director October Browne, and dance director Catherine Couperus who shared his vision of creating an intimate production that would showcase the best of Irish culture.

Top performers and players were hired to give Magic its spontaneity that’s proven a worldwide hit.

The show is led by dancer and choreographer Andrew Vickers, featured dancer Sinead McGeachy, and music director Michael O’Grady, all carrying a duffle bag of experience and awards on their resumes.

Rob Saunders of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts calls Magic “a real crowd pleaser” while Magic got three standing ovations in Laughlin, Nevada.

“In a word, wow. The dancing was incredible and this is what Irish dance, music and culture is all about,” said Fred Muirhead of AVI Resort & Casino.

“Andrew Vickers and the dancers knocked the audience right out of their seats,” added Ray Marshall of Showplace Entertainment Centre in Peterborough, Ont.

Your ticket:

What: The Magic of Ireland

When: Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.

Where: Cowichan Theatre

Tickets: $32.50, children and seniors $28.50. Call 748-7529