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Radio City Music Hall
Christmas Spectacular 2007
by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel

The weather may be nippy and the snow falling, but this only adds to the mood of the season. High on the top of our list of things to do during December is to make an annual trip into the city to see the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. As a child, we went each year to enjoy both the show and a day in New York City. So when our children were old enough, I wanted to share the same experiences with them. Sitting back into those comfortable, velvet seats and watching the performers on stage in their glittery, sequined costumes was a memory I still recall over forty years later! Lined across the “Great Stage” are the Rockettes, precision dancers, like no others you have ever seen in your life. This year more than one million people from around the world are expected to attend the show. If you have never been to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockettes during the Christmas season, don’t wait any longer. If you have been there before, go again and catch a brand new show, with some fabulous additions. Invite some friends, go with the family or coworkers and enjoy New York’s world famous entertainment venue. The show opened November 9 and will run until December 30, 2007.

Radkio City Music Hall

This is the 75th celebration of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular! Every element of this year’s show is brand new, re-imagined or has been touched upon in some way. The production features new original scenes and Rockette performance numbers, with ten new looks including brand new dazzling Rockette costumes. There are breathtaking special effects on-stage, such as fireworks that light up the New York City skyline and Santa flying over the Great Stage! Many visitors to Radio City vote the legendary “March of the Wooden Soldiers” as their all time favorite part of the program. Often highlighted in “teaser” segments during television previews, the line up of the Rockettes dressed in full costume as wooden soldiers, their marching, dancing, and turning is astounding. Tall, erect and in starched, crisp uniforms, the dancers appear to become actual toys, as they turn, salute and do their precision eye-high kicks. If you catch any of the television commercials, you will see only a small fraction of their abilities. Traditional fan-favorites like the “Living Nativity” and the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” which have been in the show since 1933, remain a vital part of the show’s core. “The Living Nativity” is even more beautiful, moving and emotionally accessible and the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” continues to set the standard as the signature Rockette number for precision performance. This year’s edition of the Christmas Spectacular will be framed around the power of the holiday spirit and the heartwarming magic that only The Radio City Christmas Spectacular and the Rockettes can bring to our audiences. From the moment that guests settle in their seats, they will become part of the Spectacular’s magical experience. “We want the experience to begin for our patrons the moment they walk through the doors at Radio City. From the interior of the Music Hall to the performance on stage, we’ve created an entirely immersive experience this year that captures the warmth and magic of Christmas like never before”, said Jonathan Hochwald, executive vice president of productions, MSG

The Rockettes are the true stars of this production, as any New Yorker can attest. Along with re-imagined Rockette favorites, this year’s show will feature the world-famous Rockettes in a dynamic new performance routine within an unforgettable signature production number set in Times Square. The New York skyline will be lit up on stage with a glittering fireworks display! Santa’s journey then takes the audience from New York City to the North Pole, when what appears to be a humble looking toy workshop unfolds before the audience’s eyes into Santa’s gigantic and spectacular 25-foot high warehouse of Christmas toys. This larger than life production set becomes the backdrop to a high-energy tap routine featuring the Rockettes as rag dolls, a performance re-imagined and inspired by a classic Rockette number that was originally choreographed in 1933 by Russell Markert. The Rockettes then deliver the audience a “Christmas card” which is an inspired greeting that captures the tradition and grandeur of the holiday spirit and gives the audience an intriguing retrospective look on film at the Christmas Spectacular throughout the past 75 years. And this year, just before the show culminates with the classic favorite “Living Nativity,” the Rockettes will undoubtedly bring the audience to their feet with a Rockette finale “Let Christmas Shine,” which honors and celebrates the Rockettes as the stars of the show.

The 2007 edition of the Christmas Spectacular will include dramatic theatrical lighting effects, breathtaking imagery, flying characters, new musical compositions specifically written for this year’s production, and an array of new glamorous costumes that only Radio City can deliver. The entire look and feel of the Music Hall and the Christmas Spectacular will be very interactive as the show envelopes patrons and takes them on this magical journey. The new production numbers, new scenic elements and original new content will be created and enhanced to utilize the state of the art technology from the world’s largest flying indoor LED screen, which was introduced for the first time last year. The 3D film has been enhanced and lengthened for an even more dramatic effect. New scenes will feature stunning special effects leaving no doubts about the magic of Christmas at Radio City. The new technological designs certainly are a long way from the shows I remember as a little girl and certainly entice to come see this newest presentation! The Radio City Christmas Spectacular creates wonderful memories for more than one million patrons each year and has been seen by approximately 62 million people since its inception in 1933, when it was originally performed as a holiday “gift” between movie screenings. The Christmas Spectacular has long since become the main event and draws people from all over the world who want to experience a quintessential New York City Christmas. The 2007 edition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular promises to continue to create memories that audiences have come to treasure; however, this year will truly be a celebration…75 years in the making!

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes will run from November 9, 2007 through December 30, 2007. Prices range from $40 to $100. Tickets are available online at www.radiocity.com or at the Radio City Box Office (50th Street and Avenue of the Americas). Box Office hours are Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Ticketmaster Christmas Hotline at (212) 307-1000 or at any Ticketmaster outlets. Ticket prices include a $4.50 facility charge. Tickets purchased via Ticketmaster are subject to service charges. Please call (212) 247-4777 for more information.

When you are town and have extra time, think about a back stage tour of this magnificent art deco theatre. This will surely be on our “to do” list this season, as I have heard it is a wonderful peek behind the scenes at this magnificent, historical theater. Reopened after an extensive restoration on October 4, 1999, the Music Hall now reflects its original grandeur of opening night, 1932, sporting behind-the-scenes upgrades and refurbishments. Following the lead of Radio City’s experienced tour guides; guests explore the Great Stage, one of the largest indoor performance stages in the world; the stage’s hydraulic system, still in operation since the 30s. In addition, as an exciting climax to the Stage Door Tour, guests will meet one of the world-famous Radio City Rockettes!

The Radio City "Stage Door Tour" is a one hour, walking tour of the interior of Radio City Music Hall that departs from the Music Hall lobby. Radio City Music Hall is located in the heart of Rockefeller Center at 1260 Avenue of the Americas - 6th Ave and 50th. Peter Clark designed the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall to be the most innovative and technically advanced stage in the world, and throughout the theatre's history, it has proven to be just that. The stage measures 66 1/2 feet deep and a full city block wide (144 feet). A variety of special effects can be created on it, including dense fog and rain, but perhaps the most impressive element is its elevator system. The stage has four elevators, each capable of being lowered 27 feet in the basement or raised 13 feet above the level of the stage. The elevators are run by a hydraulic system that was so ingenious the United States Navy came to the Music Hall to study and borrow the design for use on their WWII aircraft carriers. So "Top Secret" was our hydraulic system, the government felt it necessary to have a special agent watch over our basement during the war years. During the Christmas Spectacular, the elevator system adds to the audience's delight as the Radio City Orchestra appears in front of the stage, disappears under the stage only to reappear high up in the back of the stage! This is why each production is truly a magical experience and audiences are amazed at the stunning effects of each change of scenery and recreation of the story being depicted in front of them.

How was the timeless design of Radio City decided upon? An independent named Donald Deskey decided to compete for the work. According to Deskey, Roxy Rothafel, the Music Hall's producer, wanted to decorate the Music Hall in the opulent "Rococo" style typical of large motion-picture theaters of the time. Deskey invested $5,000 in a spectacular presentation of the new Art Deco style that utilized glass, aluminum, chrome and geometric ornamentation, promising a modern theatre, unlike any other in New York. (Remember, back in the 1930’s, this was an obscene amount of money for theater décor.) Deskey won the competition and was awarded the mammoth project of designing every public area in the Music Hall, including thirty lobby areas, smoking rooms, retiring rooms, foyers and lounges. He created a theatre that was unique in 1932 and remains unique-and spectacular-today.

Tickets for the Stage Door Tour are separate from the show and are priced at $17 for adults, $14 for senior citizens and $10 for children 12 years and under. Tours are conducted Monday through Sunday from 11 am to 3 pm. Daily Tour tickets are sold at the Radio City Avenue Store. Advanced Tour tickets for future dates are sold through Ticketmaster and the Box Office only. For Groups of 20 or more, call 212 465-6100.

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