Competition, first with her older sisters, then with fellow contestants with international Irish dancing events, led to Maggie Darlington being one who broke through the ensemble nature of the “Riverdance” troupe to become one of its recognized and bona fide stars. Starting in 2014, with some br eaks in between, Darlington has been with “Riverdance” for almost half of the popular show’s 30 seasons, themselves begun as part of a competition. Hers is among the names you look for when you peruse and “Riverdance” cast list, and she will be there, front and center, when “Riverdance” comes to Philadelphia’s Miller Theater, via the aegis of Ensemble Arts Philly, on Friday for a weekend of performances. Long association with “Riverdance” has taken Darlington to just about every major city in the world, and perhaps a few lesser known towns and outposts. Maggie Darlington and “Riverdance” are coming to Philadelphia’s Miller Theater for four performances from Friday to Sunday. (Getty Images) That means a lot of airports and hotel rooms that at some point have to be balanced with a semblance of everyday life. “This might be my 11th or 12th season with ‘Riverdance,’ ” Darlington says by telephone from New York, where the show was appearing in late March. “Every now and then, I take a break, the longest being a year-and-a-half. “Those breaks are helpful. They not only give your body and head a rest, but they let you come back to the show with fresh eyes and fresh ears. You hear things in the music that you didn’t take notice of before. “They also attune you changes, in the choreography, the program, and the cast. “For all that stays the same, there is as much that changes. Choreographers adapt the dances. They devise new patterns, new emphases, some significant. “Those changes can be a challenge. Each new cast brings its own talent and take to the story. When you’ve taken some time off, you have to work a little to blend in with a different company. “The new people might be a generation younger than you. After a year’s break, you have to account for that. My strength and confidence help. “There’s also a tendency most performers have to rely on muscle memory. Then a new version of an otherwise familiar dance is staged or some new element is tacked on, and you have to remember what’s new and make sure you’re heading in that direction and going at that speed. “It’s no good if you catch yourself saying, ‘Wait, that’s the staging from last year.’ Luckily, rehearsal establishes new muscle memory, so performances go fine. “The adaptations and adjustments keep things interesting. Meeting challenges and honing performances has been part of my life since I can remember. Also, the new makes everything fresh, as does the new things you hear in the music.” Darlington also talks about the energy that comes from the audience and the times she is the lone dancer on stage, usually to be joined in waves by others in the troupe. She specifically mentions starting an a cappella number and having it grow around her. In 2007, Darlington was named the World Irish Dancing Champion. That meant outperforming a lot of rivals. It wasn’t the first time she was driven by competition. Sibling rivalry preceded any other compunction to win out among others. “Growing up in Ventura, California, I had two older sisters. Even though one was seven years older than I, and the other was four years older, I wanted to do anything they did. And do it better. “My father was from Kerry in Ireland, and Ventura had an Irish dance school, the Claddagh School of Irish Dance, run by Máire O’Connell who was from Galway. “My sisters began classes before I did, and I imitated them. I was the youngest. I’d fall, but I’d get up and try again. I had to be better than them. I wouldn’t where I am today if I didn’t have older sisters and wasn’t compelled to exceed them in everything. “Of course, they had more strength and could move faster, but I made it my business to catch up. That sometimes meant taking chances, which was OK because there was no way I wasn’t going to win the sibling competition.” The rivalry at home carried over to Darlington’s early years in Irish dance. She began entering and winning competitions in the U.S. and Ireland, studied with top teachers in addition to Máire O’Connell, and eventually earned the world title. That led to dancing in several shows before she joined the cast of “Riverdance” in 2011. Thinking back to her beginning days with “Riverdance,” Darlington says her first strong impression was of the warm, enthusiastic reception of the audience. “It was a full house, and it was so encouraging. I had been performing for a while, but I didn’t know how embracing and supportive an audience could be. “This lasted through to the pandemic. At that time, people stopped going to the theater. They weren’t allowed to go to the theater. It took a while before audiences felt comfortable coming to large spaces. “I feel this changing at last. Audiences are returning to theaters. I can feel the passion again, the need to articulate their appreciation for the speed, freedom, and musicality that is so much a part of ‘Riverdance.’ “ The pandemic also forced some downtime on performers. Darlington says she loves performing but looks forward to periods when she can rest. “And that’s what I do when I take a break: I relax. Dancing is a joy, but it is taxing. I need time to do stop and take it easy by doing simple, unchallenging things like shopping, sitting in coffee shops, or enjoying an occasional night out. “Isaac, my boyfriend of 10 years, is a sound engineer with ‘Riverdance.’ We enjoy our work, but we also enjoy getting off the road, coming home, slowing down the pace.” Home is Denver. Knowing Darlington has traveled around the world in “Riverdance,” I was curious about how she chose a place to roost. “The answer is as simple as trying to do nothing but relaxing when we’re off. Denver was a good midpoint to where I grew up in California and where Isaac grew up in Kansas. “We can drive to see his family, and it’s a short flight to see mine. Also, Isaac lived in Aspen for a time and enjoys the mountains and the Colorado lifestyle.” “Riverdance” will be at Philadelphia’s Miller Theater for four performances from Friday to to Sunday. Shows will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Maggie Darlington says to look out for the updated lighting and other technical upgrades. Maher on Trump If I enjoy any topical commentator on television these days, it has to be Bill Maher, whose show, “Real Time,” is seen Fridays on Max. Though I roll my eyes a bit at performers who are basically comedians, or who started out as comedians, taking political stances and parsing current events, Maher has the most honest, clearly expressed, and even-handed approach to stating his opinions. Bill Maher went to the White House recently to meet a man he routinely criticizes, President Donald Trump. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) I may not always agree with him, but I always find him funny or reasonable. That’s unlike Jon Stewart, whose first stint on the “The Daily Show” lent credence to the idea that comedians could also be pundits; Stephen Colbert, an alumnus of “The Daily Show” whose bits on CBS pose as satire when they’re really pandering to a ready audience; Joy Behar, whose comments on “The View” seem based in nothing but hearsay from leftish news sources (MSNBC, CNN), or even “Saturday Night Live’s” Michael Che and Colin Jost, who have a few home runs among their usual fouls, but try too hard and go for shock rather than wit. In thinking about it, the best political commentary on television continues to come from Matt Groening’s “The Simpsons” and Sean McFarlane’s various animated programs. They treat everyone with equal “what-fools-these-mortals-be” disdain. Where, I ask, is our Mort Saul or Will Rogers? Bill Maher comes closest. Last week, he showed his open-mindedness by visiting President Donald Trump at the White House. Maher and Trump had traded repeated barbs since Trump entered politics in 2015. During the 2024 elections, Maher said he would vote for anyone, let’s say for example Squirt, the Wonder Clam, rather than cast a vote for Trump. He roundly criticizes some of the president’s choices, and not in uncertain or bashful terms. Trump has referred to Maher with his usual collection of put-downs: stupid, loser, unable to keep his original show, etc. All of this was noted when Maher went to Washington. Among things he brought with him to the White House was a notebook filled with unflattering — read “unkind” — and maligning, things the president said about him. He showed this document to the president and asked him to sign it, which, according to Maher, Trump did while smiling and enjoying the gesture. Maher warns the anti-Trump member of his audience to look objectively at the guy he met at the White House. On his show on Friday, he refers to a “spoiler alert” that he enjoyed his time with the president and found him engaging, self-effacing, and amused at how people, including Maher, evaluate him. For me, the most striking thing Maher says in his report of his brief Washington sojourn, is he wonders where the cordial, self-knowing, and affable Donald Trump is when he appears in his “television persona” giving speeches and making wild pronouncements on television and in public arenas. The dichotomy is of interest to Maher. Hearing and later reading what Maher had to say was of interest to me. I read a transcript of it on Real Clear Politics. I’m sure Maher’s actual broadcast could be found on YouTube or on Max. It’s worth the accessing. New shows coming out Any time Jon Hamm appears in a series, it seems worth a look. Hamm’s latest, “Your Friends and Neighbors” debuted Friday on Apple+. This time, he plays a hedge fund manager with a strange hobby. Jon Hamm attends the Apple TV+ premiere of “Your Friends Neighbors” at the DGA New York Theater on April 8 in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) He likes to break into his neighbor’s homes to take a look around. As expected, he learns things people would prefer to keep secret within the walls and locked doors of their domiciles. More than the premise, the interest lies in whether Hamm will give another sterling performance as he did in “Mad Men,” “Fargo,” and other TV skeins. More and more, we see television shows based on video games. Perhaps the most successful, as gauged by Emmy nominations and victories, is “The Last of Us,” which recently began its second season. The new episodes take place five years after the last game ended. The always excellent Jeffrey Wright is once more part of the cast. On Wednesday, BritBox begins streaming a three-part version of Agatha Christie’s ’30s mystery, “Towards Zero.” Again, it’s the stars of the show that muster interest. Matthew Rhys was much more fascinating on “The Americans” than he is on “Perry Mason,” but he is always an actor worth watching. The interest in “Towards Zero” increases with his co-star, who is the 1985 Oscar recipient for “Prizzi’s Honor,” Anjelica Huston, who seems to have been missing from big and little screen in recent years. The contemporary Western made popular by “Yellowstone” gets another entry on Thursday when Netflix starts streaming “Ransom Canyon,” another story about a family trying to keep its holdings solvent and intact, this time starring Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, and James Brolin, whose television career includes his first big role in “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” must span more than 50 years. Too much over-reaction During football season, when each game is an individual adventure and has significance being one out of 17, I could take the repetitive analysis heard on sports talk radio. Nuances mattered, and it was often worthwhile to hear commentators’ takes on the Eagles’ fate. Baseball is different. It has a 162-game season. What happens in each specific game doesn’t necessarily have bearing on the entire season. Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler throws during the first inning Sunday in St. Louis in a game the Phillies lost badly. Local Phillies commentators need to dial back the reactions to single games when there are 162 games in a season, our columnist says. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) Sure, trends emerge and rate mentions. In general, it seems like every win is a sign of greatness and every loss is a catastrophe from which the Phillies may never recover unless they take immediate and drastic action. The hand-wringing and over-reaction becomes boring. I think I’ll stick to watching and listening to games and making my own assessment. Melinda Whiting and Meg Bragle, I’m yours for the summer. WIP (94.1 FM)? Bah! Humbug! ...read more read less