For 77 years, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the world-famous Radio City Rockettes, has been a holiday tradition for millions, making Radio City the ultimate Christmas destination for families everywhere. With dynamic Rockette performances, breathtaking special effects, gorgeous costumes and astounding scenes, the 2009 edition captivates audiences as the greatest New York holiday celebration. This production is framed around the power of the holiday spirit and the heartwarming magic that only the Christmas Spectacular and the Rockettes can provide taking place November 13th through January 3rd.
The Radio City Rockettes continue to be an American treasure, and their performance style has always been both glamorous and deceivingly complex. As the stars of this legendary holiday production, the Rockettes showcase their signature precision dance style and perform some of the most challenging and freshest Rockette choreography ever conceived.
Along with re-imagined Rockette favorites, including the “12 Days of Christmas” scene, this year’s show features the world-famous Rockettes in dynamic performance routines within an unforgettable signature production number set in Times Square, lighting up the New York skyline with a glittering fireworks display onstage. In “New York at Christmas,” the world-famous Rockettes board a REAL double-decker Gray Line tour bus for a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Manhattan. The Rockettes and the audience take a tour of historic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Fifth Avenue’s store windows and even Central Park. They arrive in Times Square, where they perform a show-stopping number surrounded by all the lights and excitement that only New York City can generate.
Santa’s journey then takes you from New York City to the North Pole, when what appears to be a humble-looking toy workshop unfolds before the your 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”-inspired greeting that captures the tradition and grandeur of the holiday spirit, showing the audience an intriguing retrospective film that takes the audience on the Rockettes long history as the centerpiece of this beloved New York tradition.
Traditional fan favorites such as the “Living Nativity” scene and “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” which have been in the show since its inception in 1933, remain a vital part of the show’s core. The “Living Nativity” scene is beautiful, moving and emotionally accessible as always, and “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” continues to set the standard as the signature Rockette number for precision performance.
Just before the show culminates with the “Living Nativity,” the Rockettes bring the audience to their feet with a Rockette finale, “Let Christmas Shine,” honoring and celebrating the Rockettes as the stars of the show. As the retrospective film ends, the Rockettes appear in stunning Swarvoski costumes, arranged on a glittering staircase in a formation that suggests a giant Christmas tree. The Rockettes will sparkle from the stage as each Rockette costume is crystallized with more than 3,000 Swarovski crystals. In total, the Rockettes will showcase over 240,000 glamorous crystals onstage.
The 2009 edition of the Spectacular includes dramatic theatrical lighting effects, breathtaking imagery, flying characters and an array of glamorous costumes that only Radio City can deliver. The production numbers, scenic elements, and original content are created and enhanced to utilize the state-of-the-art technology from the world’s largest flying indoor LED screen. The 3-D film has been enhanced and lengthened for an even more dramatic effect. Scenes featuring stunning special effects leave no doubts about the magic of Christmas at Radio City Music Hall.
Tickets are available online by clicking here or at the Radio City Box Office (50th St. & Avenue of the Americas). Box office hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-8pm & Sun., 11am-8pm. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the Ticketmaster Christmas Hotline at 212-307-1000 or at any Ticketmaster outlet.
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