Fall in love with the magic of ‘Riverdance’ – the international Irish Dance phenomenon – once again, after 25 years!

By Mabel Pais

‘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, at 8 PM Saturday, March 11, at 3 PM and 8 PM and Sunday, March 12 at 2 PM and 7 PM.

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 re-recorded 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.

‘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. Since its inception, ‘Riverdance’ has packed theaters throughout North America, Oceania, Asia, Europe, South Africa and South America.

RIVERDANCE: 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW

‘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.

Information & Tickets

For more information, visit:

Website: www.riverdance.com –    Facebook: @Riverdance

Twitter: @Riverdance –  Instagram: @Riverdance –  TikTok: @Riverdance

For Tickets, visit ticketmaster.com/artist/778497?venueId=308

Did you know?

Since ‘Riverdance’ began performances in Dublin in 1995, the show has…

Played 12,340 performances

Seen live by over 28 million people in 550 venues worldwide

Played throughout 48 countries across 6 continents

Played to a global television audience of more than 3.5 billion people

Sold over 3 million copies of the Grammy Award-winning CD

Sold 10 million Riverdance videos & DVDs

Riverdance holds the Guinness World Record for the ‘Longest Riverdance Line,’ which featured 1693 participants

Since the Riverdance Summer School began in 2015 over 2000 Irish Dancers from 23 countries worldwide have attended the school and learned the iconic Riverdance steps.

CRITICAL PRAISE FOR RIVERDANCE:

“A Riverdance to Love! Exciting! Hypnotic! Thrilling!” – THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“The sort of spectacle and experience that comes along once in a lifetime.” – THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

“Excellence beyond compare … majestic unshackled emotion … the audience was teeming with passion, so much that some audience members were even dancing in the aisles.” – GUANGZHOU DAILY

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FOLK ROCK NOSTALGIA COMES ALIVE AT NJPAC

Ready for some ‘60s nostalgia? You are in the right place!

By Mabel Pais

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) presents ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ on Thursday, March 2, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. This immersive and transcendent experience chronicles the amazing journey shared by the folk-rock duo, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.

The show tells the story from their humble beginnings when they were known as Tom & Jerry, to their incredible success as one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, to their dramatic split in 1970. It culminates with the famous “The Concert in Central Park” reunion in 1981 with more than a half-million fans in attendance. With performances in more than 50 countries worldwide, ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ is a critically acclaimed concert-style theater show about two young boys from Queens, New York, who went on to become the world’s most successful music duo of all time.

Using state-of-the-art video projection, photos, original film footage, and a full live band, ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ is a moving and powerful concert featuring all the hits such as “Mrs. Robinson”, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, “Homeward Bound”, “Scarborough Fair”, “The Boxer”, “The Sound of Silence” and many more.

With more than 100 million album sales since 1965, Simon & Garfunkel’s perfect harmonies and songs that poignantly captured the times made them one of the most successful folk-rock duos of all time. Over the years, they won 10 Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1977, their “Bridge Over Troubled Water” album was nominated at the 1977 Brit Awards for Best International Album. In 2003, Simon and Garfunkel were awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and the following year saw their “The Sound of Silence” awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

In this performance, Taylor Bloom (as Paul Simon) is an actor and musician based out of New York City. He is utterly thrilled to be back on the road with ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ for another tour and to be bringing this music to so many communities around the US. Benjamin Cooley (as Art Garfunkel) is an actor, also based in New York. He too couldn’t be more excited to tell the story of two young men from Queens who wrote the music of their generation.

TICKETS

Get your Tickets to see ‘The Simon & Garfunkel Story’ by visiting NJPAC.org (njpac.org/event/the-simon-garfunkel-story) or  the NJPAC Box Office or calling 888.GO.NJPAC (888.466.5722).

NJPAC

Learn more about The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) at www.njpac.org

Follow NJPAC Online:

Website:    njpac.org

Twitter:     @NJPAC

Instagram:   @NJPAC

Hashtag:    #NJPAC

Facebook:    facebook.com/NJPAC

YouTube:     NJPACtv

Follow NJPAC’s Standing in Solidarity Series Online:

Website:     njpac.org/takeastand

Hashtag:       #NJPACTakeAStand Youtube: Standing in Solidarity playlist

(Mabel Pais writes on The Arts and Entertainment, Social Issues, Health & Wellness, Cuisine and Spirituality)