Radio City Christmas Spectacular
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The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is an annual play that is held every year at New York City's Radio City Music Hall.The play hosts more than a million visitors a year.(2) The show uses over 140 performers,lavish costumes and an original musical score.(3)The show presents a combination of special effects, music and dance done during various acts. Much of the dancing is done by the dance group known as the Rockettes.The show runs for six weeks from November 9 to December 30. The play has,over the many years since it was first presented,become an annual tradition in New York at Christmas time.
The Christmas show has grown and changed over the years. It began in 1933 as a show between movie screenings. This was just one year after the opening of the music hall in 1932. The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers and the living Nativity were the show's only acts. Both scenes were developed and choregraphed by the Rockettes' founder Russell Markeit.(2)In the early years of the play, the acts were directed by him as well.
It was in 1979 that the Christmas show was expanded to ninety minutes to accommodate a number of additional acts.The tradition of the play being a show between movie screenings was dropped. Other acts have been added to the show since. Technology that did not exist in 1933 has also expanded the show. Modern machinery has made possible many of the special effects as well as the show's opening 3-D movie. However, in spite of these changes, one thing about the play has never changed. Since 1933 the Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been held every year and draws vast numbers of people into the Music Hall around the time of Christmas.
[edit] Outline
The Christmas Spectacular begins with a 3-D movie where the audience sees Santa Claus flying to New York City from the North Pole in his magic sleigh.Once he arrives there we see him flying in his sleigh around some of New York City's landmarks. The sights include the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building among others. We see Santa flying around each landmark as he makes his way, for his annual visit, toward the Radio City Music Hall. When watching this film, it is important to wear the 3-D glasses that the Music Hall gives to its patrons.
Once Santa arrives at the Music Hall the movie ends and the show really begins. Santa appears on stage and acts as host. Santa's first act as host is to introduce the Rockettes to the audience. The dance group then performs their recently added opening number "I see Christmas everywhere".
When the opening number ends Santa than announces the act called "every little girl's dream", which is a scene from The Nutcracker. The scene involves a little girl dreaming about opening her presents on Christmas Day. She than dances with the six-foot tall toy bears and rabbits that she finds in the unwrapped boxes.
Next up after that is one of the original acts from the play - one that dates all the way back to 1933. The act is "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers". The act is performed by the Rockettes and has been performed by them every year since the play begain. The toy soldier costumes worn in the act are the same design as the original 1933 performance,however each costume is made for the individual dancer.(2)
The next dance number starts with Santa reading a letter from one of the children who sends him Chrirstmas mail every year. The little girl wants to know how Santa can deliver so many presents all over the world in one night. Santa explains that he is able to deliver all those presents on Christmas Eve is because he has a legion of Santa Clauses helping him with his rounds. As he finishs explaining that,fifty of the Santa Clauses come on to the stage and dance.
The next act is called "Dance of the Snowflakes" which celebrates the wonders and beauties of a snowy New York Christmas season.The scene begins with well known meteorologists from stations around the New York area predicting a Christmas with out snow. The performers than sing about the New York holiday season and holiday shopping along Fifth Avenue.The scene uses Fifth Avenue store window recreated for the show,dancing snow flakes and live ice skaters.(3)
The next two acts are humorous tours of Santa's toy delivery operation and his workshop. We get to meet Mrs. Claus and all of Santa's elves. We also learn how into modern technology the Clauses are. The couple shows off their use of mobile phones and fax machines. Santa ends the act by adding that an old fashioned letter is still the best way to talk to him.
The final act is the "Living Nativity",one of the shows original acts. Special effects are used to dramatise the birth of Christ. Voiceover narration describes his life and the effect that he has had on history. The act is also called "One Solitary Life".
In 2006 the show was updated with a new dance number, new costumes and new visual effects. In 2007 the show will celebrate its 75th year
[edit] Sources
1.Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes program guide
2.The Radio City Rockettes: A dance through time. Published by Msg entertainment 2006
3.Christmas in New York:A Pop-Up Book By Chuck Fischer. Published by Bullfinch Press
[edit] External links
- Radio City Christmas Spectacular now showing at Radio City Music Hall New York
