Flatley stated

Friday, Nov. 22, 2002 | 4:17 a.m.

His voice soft, almost inaudible, Michael Flatley recently sat discussing his "Lord of the Dance" with a string of journalists line-dancing through his plush suite at The Venetian.

The popular Irish-dance production closed at the New York-New York in July after almost 7,000 performances to make way for a show being created by Cirque du Soleil.

But Flatley, who heads Unicorn Entertainment, refused to leave town. He found a new home a couple of blocks north, at The Venetian -- whose controversial showroom has had more than its share of misfortune and critical press.

The resurrected "Lord of the Dance" opened Nov. 1.

Flatley, with the hint of an Irish accent, talked with the Las Vegas Sun about his production and many other projects that are in the works.

Las Vegas Sun: How is the latest production different from the one at New York-New York?

Michael Flatley: I changed a few things, but I try not to change too much because "Lord of the Dance" is the brand and it's what everybody wants. Anytime I change anything our fan base gets pretty upset over it.

Sun: What were some of the changes?

MF: I updated all the lighting, all the sound effects, all of the special effects in the show. Costumes -- everything has been updated and changed to fit this particular venue for us.

Sun: Can you talk about the business arrangement you have with The Venetian and the Showroom?

MF: I can't be specific. I don't think it would be fair to anybody involved. I don't think it's appropriate for me to discuss any of the intimate details.

Sun: The Showroom has had many problems over the years. Does that not cause you some concern?

MF: I can just tell you this is the end of all the problems. We are here to stay. Our shows are crowded with people. I think it's a perfect match. It's great brand association. This is a classy hotel. They have a beautiful premises here, and a perfect spot on the Strip and it suits us perfectly. It fits like a glove.

Sun: What about problems with the stage itself? Some performers say it is too high, that it isn't meant for production shows.

MF: There's nothing we couldn't overcome here. We've heard about a lot of problems from a lot of different companies, but there are no problems in life that you don't make up in your own mind. They can all be conquered.

We tour around the world. I can put this show on in eight hours and be out in four on nearly any stage in the world.

Sun: How many productions of "Lord of the Dance" are there?

MF: Four -- this one here and three touring the world. We have a bit of a permanent thing with Disneyland, but the production goes from one Disneyland to another. We're opening at Disneyland Paris in two weeks.

Sun: Have you seen any drop in the production's popularity?

MF: No. It's gaining every day, more and more. We cannot possibly provide enough shows to keep up with the demand. Right now we are looking at opening resident troupes in Mexico City, Helsinki, Finland, in Moscow and we're looking at Tokyo. There's one in Paris and one in Germany that have been waiting for two years to begin that we just haven't been able to get to yet. That's not even touching Broadway or the West End in London, which are priorities.

Sun: The show seems to cut across all cultural lines.

MF: Without question. Our demographics are 8 to 80, every nationality, every age, every color, every religion, every language. It doesn't matter. We are so lucky.

Sun: What is the international appeal?

MF: It's the greatest show in the world.

Sun: What makes it great?

MF: It's primal. If you ask a hundred different people what makes them feel that way after the show you'll get a hundred different answers. But it all means the same thing. They leave there feeling great. It's uplifting. It's not about a fancy, $50-million showroom. It's about what's on that stage. It's exciting.

Sun: Are you involved in other things besides this?

MF: I do many, many things. I'm in production now for a totally different, brand-new show. But it is very similar in the style, because that's me and that's my style. I have a new CD of music coming out, of me on flute music -- we're in the middle of an MTV shoot for that. And that will come out around February next year. We've got a new video of my show, "Firedance" -- it was filmed in Budapest in front of 100,000 people last year. That will be released sometime in the new year. We've got a 35-millimeter show that was filmed in Madison Square Garden that will be released in the IMAX Theaters sometime next year. So, yes, we are involved in lot of different things.

Sun: You sound as if you are in the same league as Cirque du Soleil. Does your production company have the same impact?

MF: I think we do. I think Unicorn Entertainment is probably one of the most powerful entertainment brands in the world today, just because of the sheer success of our numbers alone. Our market share -- we own our market place, exclusively.

Sun: Why is your only permanent production in Las Vegas right now?

MF: Las Vegas is underrated in the world market in terms of it being a very powerful, significant entertainment center. I think it will become increasingly more important in the entertainment world. I could envision Las Vegas becoming a center for theatrical arts in the future.