Review: RIVERDANCE 25TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW at Kennedy Center

Twenty-seven years ago, the international dance phenomenon known as Riverdance began enchanting audiences. Twenty- five years ago it began touring the world and to this day millions of people have been enthralled by it's mix of music, dance and musicianship. Oddly enough, it's current engagement at Kennedy Center's Opera House is the first time the show has played that particular venue so it was truly an experience seeing the show in this grand hall. Seeing it on St. Patrick's Day also added a whole new level for sure. Oh, some of the audience outfits!! The full-blown leprechaun suit won my vote for most creative.

One of the reasons Riverdance is such a beloved attraction is because Bill Whelan's music (expertly orchestrated by Whelan and Nick Ingram) truly drives the show. From the opening number "Reel Around the Sun" onward the music helps to tell the story of the dances and just keeps the energy of the show at full throttle throughout.

As this show is called Riverdance the choreography is definitely front and center.

It took eleven choreographers to bring the show to life including Michael Flatley. If that name sounds familiar it might be because after Riverdance Flatley branched out on his own to create his own show called Lord of The Dance.

Of the group numbers "Reel Around the Sun", "Riverdance", and "American Wake" are three of the standout moments. This is truly an ensemble effort. If any of the dancers are slightly off, you'll definitely notice. I was totally impressed by the precision and top shelf energy each member presented.

Riverdance is not just Irish dance. There is a wonderful flamenco section entitled "Firedance" featuring soloist Rocio Dusmet and a section called "Trading Taps" featuring master tappers Tyler Knowlin and Dharmesh Patel. These two features make the show even more universal to any audience member attending.

I mentioned Bill Whelan's music upfront as one of the things that drives Riverdance. That would not happen without the four-member band made up of Hayley Richardson (Fiddle), Emma Frampton (Saxophone), Tara Howley (Uilleann Pipes / Low Whistle / Tin Whistle / Concertina), and the man who is a show all by himself Mark Alfred (Drums / Percussion / Bodhrán/ Musical Director). These four artists create a solid musical foundation for the dancers and are featured with their own solos as well. "Slow Air and Tunes", and "Slip into Spring - The Harvest" are just two examples of the fine musicianship found within.

As this is the 25th Anniversary edition of Riverdance, the production elements have been spruced up with a new projection presentation designed by Cosmo AV. Here is a case where the projection doesn't overpower the production. It's a fine line to be able to do that. The images consist of lots of landscapes, some very powerful fire images in the flamenco section, and other striking images.

The vocal performances are also really strong. The big choral performance of "Lift the Wings" is simply heavenly.

Lighting designer Andrew Voller uses lots of color and also creates some really wonderful moods for the darker sections using his well-designed touring light plot.

If you have seen Riverdance before, this version will definitely not disappoint you. If you've never seen Riverdance before, the 25th anniversary edition will be bar none the best introduction to this worldwide sensation. Here's to 25 more years!!

Running Time: Two hours and five minutes with one intermission.

Riverdance The 25th Anniversary Show runs through March 27th, 2022 at Kennedy Center's Opera House which is located at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

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