Midway through this year’s Radio City Christmas Spectacular, there is a slide show summarizing the famed hall’s history, including that period in the 1970s when financial problems threatened to make the house dark for good. That hasn’t happened, of course, and at this time of year we can all celebrate that reprieve. For tourists and locals alike, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is truly spectacular, a showcase for the Rockettes and a celebration of Christmas in New York.
The sheer scale of the music hall—it seats more than 6,000—elevates each show to a major event. If you need to pick up tickets beforehand, arrive early. There are few ticket windows and long lines. With as many as five shows on weekends, the sidewalks around Radio City at 50th Street and Sixth Avenue, as well as the theater lobby, teem with people. A large dose of patience and a “be nice to the tourists” attitude is necessary to sustain that holiday mood.
The show was revamped and updated three years ago, all to the better. While preserving the traditions that make this show a classic, the new version adds special effects that will please even the jaded teen.
Santa Claus (a very, very good one—he actually looks and sounds like the real thing!) presides over the festivities. With the Rockettes as his reindeer, the show gets off to a spirited beginning. The action switches to the large screen and it’s time to don those 3D glasses handed out with your program. Watch an animated Santa and his sleigh swoop and dive between some of New York’s prominent landmarks while you dodge the presents and other objects that seem to fly into the audience.
Santa may be the host but the true stars are the Rockettes, and this show gives them plenty of time to demonstrate the precision dance routines that have made them famous the world over. The choreography includes plenty of high kicks and tap dancing, as well as the crowd pleasing dance of the toy soldiers. A new number has the Rockettes riding one of those ubiquitous red sightseeing buses while scenes of Christmas in New York flash on the giant screen. With the bus moving and turning, the tour seems quite realistic.
What would Christmas be without scenes from the Nutcracker? This version opts for lots of cuddly creatures pirouetting to Tchaikovsky’s compositions played by a full orchestra. There’s also a scene in Central Park with a skating couple performing ambitious moves on a very small rink. The nativity scene recreates the events surrounding the birth of Christ, complete with live sheep and two camels.
Unlike in years past, the entire cast emerges at the end of the show to take their bows. All well deserved for a highly entertaining Christmas show that celebrates both the holiday and New York.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring the Rockettes
For tickets go to www.radiocitychristmas.com
