NJPAC presents Riverdance with 25th Anniversary Shows

Published by New Jersey Stage
05/03/2022

(NEWARK, NJ) -- Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show is Riverdance, as you’ve never seen it before comes to New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark for five extraordinary performances, Friday, March 10, 2023 at 8:00pm; Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 3:00pm & 8:00pm; and Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 2:pm & 7:00pm.

A powerful and stirring reinvention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its Grammy Award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Twenty-five years on, composer Bill Whelan has rerecorded his mesmerizing soundtrack while producer Moya Doherty and director John McColgan have completely reimagined the ground-breaking show with innovative and spectacular lighting, projection, stage and costume designs. Immerse yourself in the extraordinary power and grace of its music and dance–beloved by fans of all ages. Fall in love with the magic of Riverdance all over again. 

The critically acclaimed 25th Anniversary North American Tour was shut down in March 2020 during a sold-out return engagement to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, Riverdance celebrated a return to the stage in the United Kingdom, where the iconic show played to sold out audiences in 27 cities across the country. Then followed its debut at Expo 2020 Dubai with a special production of Riverdance presenting a multi-cultural experience including artists from the Middle East region. A highlight of the four-week run was the Riverdance performance at the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai for their Thanksgiving Day celebrations. 

Tickets for Riverdance will go on-sale Friday, May 6 at 10:00am and can be purchased by visiting NJPAC.org or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722) or by visiting the NJPAC Box Office. 

Riverdance The Animated Adventure was released on Netflix in the United States on January 14, 2022, where it swiftly landed a spot on the streamer’s Global Top 10 list. With an original score by Grammy Award-winning composer Bill Whelan, the animated musical comedy features the incredible craft and skill of the Riverdance troupe by utilizing motion capture of their performances to create the animated dancing in the film. Tour lead dancers Maggie Darlington and Anna Mai Fitzpatrick and Executive Producer/Director Padraic Moyles were involved with the dance production for the film, while tour musicians Mark Alfred and Tara Howley play on the film score. 

Riverdance began its journey as the interval act in the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest, produced for television by Moya Doherty. This electrifying and innovative seven-minute dance piece was then developed into a full-length stage show by Producer Moya Doherty, Composer Bill Whelan and Director John McColgan. With its fusion of Irish and International music and dance, the show broke all box office records during its world première run in Dublin in early 1995. When the show transferred to London the reaction was unprecedented. There followed a hugely successful tour starting in New York in March 1996, where 8 sold-out shows at Radio City Music Hall heralded the start of more than two decades of touring by Riverdance companies throughout North America. Since its inception, Riverdance has packed theatres throughout North America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America. 

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show has been designed by lead designer Peter Canning, featuring Set by Alan Farquharson, Lighting by Andrew Voller and Video by Cosmo AV along with Costumes by Joan Bergin and Sound by Michael O’Gorman. 

The cast will include lead dancers Amy-Mae Dolan, Will Bryant, Maggie Darlington, Anna Mai Fitzpatrick, Fergus Fitzpatrick, James Greenan and Meadhbh Kennedy, troupe members Brandon Asazawa, Belle Brenton, Kieran Bryant, Morgan Bullock, Gerard Byrne, Keeva Correy, Matthew Gardiner, Michael Gardiner, Emma Mannion, Jordan McCormick, Faith Moore, Olivia Nactigal, Cian Porter, Dylan Scholls Zoe Talbot, Mairead Trainor and Elle-Mae Wheeler, Russian dancers Ana Turcan, Eugeniu Turcan, Christine Lesnikova and Alexander Safonov, tappers Tyler Knowlin and Dharmesh Patel, and Flamenco dancer Rocio Dumset. 

The company includes TikTok sensations Matthew and Michael Gardiner (@gardinerbrothers) and Morgan Bullock (@yourangleyuordevil), whose performance of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage Remix” went viral on the platform in 2020 and will make her professional US stage debut in this production. The cast will also feature, for the first time, children of original Riverdance cast members, Cian Porter and Faith Moore. 

New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), located One Center Street in downtown Newark, N.J., is America’s most diverse performing arts center, and the artistic, cultural, educational and civic center of New Jersey – where great performances and events enhance and transform lives every day. NJPAC brings diverse communities together, providing access to all and showcasing the state’s and the world’s best artists while acting as a leading catalyst in the revitalization of its home city. Through its extensive Arts Education programs, which have reached almost 2 million children, NJPAC is shaping the next generation of artists and arts enthusiasts. NJPAC has attracted more than 10 million visitors since opening its doors in 1997, and nurtures meaningful and lasting relationships with each of its constituents.