Global Irish dancemaster Michael Flatley has tapped into a new audience experience with his new show Lord of the Dance – Dangerous Games, which is on at the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff, until Sunday.

This is more like Time Lord of the Dance, where toe-tapping cyber-men take on a bunch of bare-chested heroes in the battle for Mother Earth.

The show is full of allegories and metaphors, with the dancing taking place to a backdrop of film, holograms and special effects.

The opening scene makes you think you are in the middle of Game of Thrones, with brilliant costumes from Christopher Woods.

Flatley, who produces and directs the show, has handed over his shoes to Morgan Comer, who plays the Lord of the Dance and Earth’s saviour – no Catholic connotations there, then.

His arrogance on stage is palpable, but so it should be – he did win the Irish Dance World Championships in 2010.

He commands his army of men – the aforementioned barechested brigade – leading them into a dance battle against the Dark Lord, a role shared by Tom Cunningham and Zoltan Papp.

The stage is awash with pert bottoms – and that’s just the blokes. But fear not, there are girls in the show as well. And what beauties. But they are all so petite. I’ve seen more meat on a turkey carcass on Boxing Day!

But it’s hardly surprising considering the high-octane energy they expend in the two-hour show.

Sarah Sloyan’s dancing caught my eye, even though she doesn’t play either of the leading female roles of Saoirse – the Lord’s true love danced by Caroline Gray – or Morrighan the seductress, in the form of Lara Milner.

Vocals are provided by Rachel O’Connor, – Erin the Goddess. The 17-year-old singer was one of Kylie Minogue’s proteges on the TV Show the Voice.

She didn’t win that show, nor did she win this, for me.

Her first two songs were OK, but the last, We Will Fight Them, left her fighting the song.

No Irish dance show would be complete without fiddlers, and Giada Costenaro Cunningham and Eimear Reilly are both brilliant violinists. How on earth can they dance and play the fiddle at the same time?

The standing ovation was well-deserved.

Watching the show took me back to my childhood when the highlight of family gatherings was when my two brothers and I used to cross snooker cues on the living room carpet and do the “sword dance”.

The knees would not be up to it now, but if you believe what Michael Flatley says in his prologue “If you believe in yourself and you are willing to work hard, then nothing is impossible.”

Oh, really? Or should that be O’Reilly?

CHRIS LEE ý Lord of the Dance – Dangerous Games is at the Cliffs Pavilion at 8pm nightly until Sunday, with a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday.

Tickets, priced £37-£44.50, are available from the box office on 01702 351135.