Producer and director John McColgan has lifted the lid on the infamous Riverdance split with Michael Flatley insisting: “He wasn’t fired.”
McColgan, who was one of the key players behind the hit stage show, said he worked alongside superhoofer Flatley but fame and success “went to his head”.
The multi-award winning producer, who is RTE’S former head of entertainment, refuted Flatley’s claims he was axed just before the show’s second run in London.
He told RTE Radio’s Brendan O'Connor Show: “He wasn’t fired. He was in contract negotiations and we couldn’t bow to the demands.
“He made an enormous contribution to Riverdance. I respected him enormously and he was a significant element in the success of the show and I would never take that away from him.
“But at one point it went to his head and we were going back for a second run in London and he thought he had the opportunity to hold us over a barrel if he didn’t do it.”
McColgan then reflected on Flatley’s subsequent work – including global smash hit Lord of the Dance – as he explained the different directions they wanted to go in.
He said: “I remember we were rehearsing and, as I say, I was getting on very well with them. We had one entrance in the show and he said, ‘John, I have an idea. I can take my top off and I can have oil all over my body’?
“‘I can run on and I can slide on my knees and stop on a dime’.
“I said, ‘Michael, save it for Vegas’.”
Worldwide sensation Riverdance returns to the stage for 2022 to celebrate 25 years of the show after it was forced to take a hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic.
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