AN electric evening of entertainment was to be had at The Palace Theatre, Manchester when Michael Flatley's 'Lord of the Dance' came here (writes Sue Gerrard).

Although Michael Flatley no longer presents his incredible performance on stage his presence is still felt in the style and choreography of this production.

Stepping into his shoes as Lord of the Dance is Desmond Bailey who took over the role in 1998 and who gives an outstanding display of dance at its best. He is ably matched by Chris Hannon as the Bad Lord who gave a commanding performance full of menace. The role of Bad Girl was taken by Kelly Hendry who was seductive to the extreme and certainly had the audience eating out of the palm of her hand, while Alice Reddin as the Good Girl provided a good 'mirror image'.

Although the principals in this show were excellent it is the company as a whole that deserves the accolades as it is when they are all on stage that the production comes alive. Their sense of rhythm and timing and speed at which they dance has to be seen to be believed and even then it is difficult to comprehend.

If you combine this with the superb music and colourful costumes and you have an evening of sheer joy which has lost none if its magic and charm.