The last dance for legendary 'Riverdance'

An inspiring gift from Ireland that transcends cultural boundaries

For John McColgan, the show’s director since day one (and husband of its producer, Moya Doherty), the Riverdance train has provided a thrilling 15-year journey that, truth be told, took him completely by surprise.

“No, I never thought we’d have this level of success for this long,” McColgan told the Irish Voice during an interview last week.   

“I did think that the show would work in Ireland, England and the United States. I thought that it would play maybe for a number of months, something less for a year.

“Nobody could have thought this. We are incredibly fortunate. It’s a unique success and a unique Irish production.”

The show has toured and sold out major venues throughout the U.S. ever since the Radio City debut, but all good things have to come to an end at some point.  Though Riverdance will continue to tour the world, the end of the current U.S. production will be celebrated with an eight-show farewell engagement that begins on St. Patrick’s night at Radio City, and concludes on March 21.

“This will be our sixth time in Radio City. We’ll have done 95 shows there to an audience of about a half million, which is huge,” says McColgan proudly.

Not that Riverdance will disappear off the U.S. radar screen entirely.  McColgan says the show will be re-tooled and eventually brought back so it can tour smaller venues that have never been able to host the show due to its vast size.  The new version will debut in Dublin this summer at the Gaiety Theatre, and then return to the road.

“What we’re hoping to do is a tour where we can play venues that we’ve never been able to play, that we can play for two nights or one night. There’s a huge number of venues. That’s the normal thing that lots of shows do,” says McColgan, who adds that the show is booked for the next two years in various corners of the world, thus making an unprecedented 20th anniversary celebration a distinct possibility.

Asia, particularly China, seems to be fertile territory for Riverdance to replicate the success it has enjoyed in the U.S.  A production of the show – currently there are three companies touring the world – is currently playing to packed houses in Seoul, South Korea, yet another first for the Riverdance juggernaut.

Asian, American, Irish, Mexican . . . no matter what the nationality, Riverdance has mass appeal.  McColgan isn’t surprised.

“The show has something that transcends cultural boundaries. It can be enjoyed by audiences who don’t need to be Irish, or don’t need to understand Irish culture,” he feels.

“But there’s a primal element in the show that’s to do with the music and the percussive dancing that really excite people. I was talking to the minister for culture in china, and he said this is more than a show; it’s an expression of a country. It’s a country presenting itself in a very proud way.”

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Nster.com