Eclipse: An Illusion and Dance Spectacular

Anthony Street has mastered at least two major art forms — Irish dancing, and stage magic — and in 2011 he married the two in a show called Celtic Illusion.  Eclipse, a brand-new show that is touring from Townsville to Victoria, features similar dancing but almost entirely new magical illusions.

Street himself is very much the centre of attention in many of the acts.  He has a commanding presence as lead dancer, and great theatricality in his illusions, which evidently have spared no expense.  But his fellow dancers — some nine men and eight women in evidence — were impressive in their own right and in their close coordination with each other.  There is something almost magical in Irish dance done well, and the occasional overlap of dance and illusion on stage was consistently seamless.  The dancers’ speed, endurance, and elegance and some exciting choreography by Daniel Ryan and Alfie Scalia made the dances a real treat.

The show is twice what it would be without the fabulous soundtrack by Angela Little and Steve Skinner.  Though a little intense in the percussion’s high frequencies, the soundtrack gave the show additional drive and joy.

Stage magic retains in every good performance its wondrousness: how do they do that!  Showmanship such as Street’s adds something special to it, and it was an evening of pure pleasure.

John P. Harvey

Photo: John P. Harvey.