Anniversary Show

RIVERDANCE THE LASTING STAMINA OF

RRiverdance 25th Anniversary Show is celebrating its silver anniversary and it’s a double whammy — 25 years performing for 25 million fans.

But that was not the original expectation. Riverdance started as a one-time, seven-minute performance. “It came from the Eurovision song contest, which is a big contest in Europe and it’s watched by about 500 million people,” said John McColgan, Director. “Every year there’s an internal act and my wife (Moya Doherty) was the producer… She contracted Bill Whelan (Composer), Michael Flatley (male lead dancer),

Jean Butler (female lead dancer) and choreographers. That was the fi rst appearance of Riverdance and it was a sensation.” Julian Erskine, who retired last year after serving as Senior Executive

Producer since the show’s inception, remembers that fi rst night. “It’s hard to describe just how enormous [the audience reaction] was. Not just in the Eurovision venue, where the entire audience let out a spontaneous roar and jumped to [its] feet, but also across all the Irish radio and TV stations and newspapers where it was the number one topic of discussion.” Such a buzz was created that when the routine was repeated on Irish television, nearly the entire country watched. With its instant popularity, the creative team quickly planned a full-length performance to play

Dublin. “The original hope,” Erskine said, “was for a one-month run.” That was 1994 and Riverdance continues to play to enthusiastic audiences across the globe. “Riverdance has no language barrier,” said McColgan. “I’ve stood in the back of darkened theatres in Mexico and Germany and China and the

US and the UK. The response is always the same. People are energized.

People come away from it uplifted.” “Its longevity is due to the performers on stage and the culture that every night is Opening Night,” McColgan continued. Those dancers are the heart of the show — skilled athletes whose precise execution may be rivaled only by the Rockettes. When asked if that point-perfect unison is achieved by endless hours of rehearsal or great choreographic direction, Erskine assessed it as a bit of both. “Mostly it’s down to the competitive background of Irish dance. All of our performers are championship-winning dancers and as such, perform with extreme precision and exceptional timing. What seems extraordinary to the audience seems ordinary to the dancers,” he said. “We manage to get the best dancers in the world,” McColgan said, “and they’re proud to deliver 110% every night.” Which they do. Enjoy.

RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW FEB 2 – 6, 2022 BUELL THEATRE

THE ORIGINS OF RIVERDANCE COSTUMES, SET AND LIGHTING

(Heartland). Riverdance - 25th Anniversary Show Photo by Jack Hartin © Abhann Productions.jpg COMING UP FOR BROADWAY:

JERSEY BOYS

Take a journey to New Jersey in the 1950s when the Tony and Grammy Award-winning musical Jersey Boys steps onto the Buell stage this spring. Jersey Boys will take audiences into the life of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons and share the behind-the-scenes story of how four blue-collar boys became the biggest American pop sensations of all time. Do you think you know everything about this toe-tapping musical? Get to know Jersey Boys with a game of trivia. How many albums did the Four Seasons sell before they were 30 years old? a. 120 million b. 175 million c. 200 million How many Four Seasons songs in the musical were on Billboard’s Top Ten? a. 5 b. 11 c. 18 What are the total number of costumes/looks that can been seen on stage? a. 196 b. 200 c. 231 What are the total lighting cues that happen throughout the performance? a. 431 b. 512 c. 615 Don’t miss the chance to hear some of the biggest Four Seasons hits “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Sherry” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” in Jersey Boys this April 15 – 17.

Key: b, b, a, c

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