Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
THE latest edition of Radio City's venerable Christmas show is a holiday excursion all by itself. This overstuffed extravaganza features, among other things: an armada of singing and dancing Santas, an excerpt from "The Nutcracker," a visit to Rockefeller Center's ice skating rink, an aerial tour of Manhattan (via an eye-popping 3-D animated film), enough animals to populate a small zoo - and, of course, the Rockettes, in a new tap-dancing number set to "The Twelve Days of Christmas" in which they're clad in pleasingly skimpy outfits.
No wonder the show's Santa Claus seems particularly jolly this year.
And so does the packed house of tourists, who responded to the show's terrific production values (matched by the ticket prices, which run up to a staggering $250) with a constant chorus of oohs and aahs - and a barrage of flashbulbs that effectively reduced the show's climactic Nativity scene into a photo op.
The show, gussied up this year with new costumes and scenery and a huge LED screen, remains a holiday tradition that actually lives up to its hype.
Director Linda Haberman has wisely expanded the presence of the show's chief attraction: the high-kicking and hardworking Rockettes. The show's highlight, as it has been since it premiered in 1933, is the classic "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," which remains a marvel of choreographic precision.
Sure, the production has its less than felicitous elements, including a video montage of singing TV weather forecasters and at least one number, "Santa's Workshop," that smacks of the worst of Broadway cheesiness.
But it would take a real Scrooge to resist its spectacular brand of holiday entertainment, presented in one of the world's most glorious theaters. Sure, the production can be seen in many other cities these days, but there's nothing like experiencing it in the classic art-deco environs of Radio City.
RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Sixth Ave.; (212) 307-4100. Through Dec. 30.
Copyright 2006 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
