Historic Radio City Music Hall and the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular

For 80 years the Christmas Spectacular starring The Rockettes has continued to create lasting memories for families that have made this cherished show a holiday tradition.

The Rockettes are an American precision dance company founded in 1925 that have performed at Radio City Music Hall since 1932.

John D Rockefeller Jr signed a lease for a sizable swath of land in Manhattan known as the “Speakeasy Belt” in October of 1928.   Originally the property was to be used for a new Metropolitan Opera House, but when the stock market crashed in the fall of 1929 plans changed.

Created from the vision of theater impresario S.L. “Roxy” Rothafeld and the design expertise of Donald Desky,  Radio City Music Hall stands today as one of the world’s largest and most recognized examples of Art Deco.

Rockefeller’s search for a commercial partner led to the Radio Corporation of America, a young company whose NBC radio programs were attracting huge audiences and whose RKO Studios were producing distributing popular motion pictures.

Together Rockefeller, RCA and Roxy realized a fantastic dream – a theater unlike any other in the world and the first completed project within the complex that RCA had David Sarnoff dubbed “Radio City”.

Radio City Music Hall was to be a palace for the people, a place of beauty, offering high quality entertainment at prices ordinary people could afford.   It was intended to entertain and amuse but also to elevate and inspire.

The great stage is framed by a huge proscenium arch that measures 60 ft high and 100 ft wide.

It’s Marquee is a full city block long, while it’s auditorium measures 160 ft from back to to stage and the ceiling reaches a height of 84 ft.

The walls and ceilings are formed by a series of sweeping arches that define a splendid and an immersed curving space.

Opened in December 1932, Radio City Music Hall remains the world’s largest indoor theater with over 6,000 seats.

Since 1933 more than 700 movies have opened here including the original King Kong, National Velvet, White Christmas, Breakfast at Tiffany’s,  To Kill a Mockingbird starring former Radio City usher Gregory Peck, Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians and The Lion King.

For decades America’s most popular entertainers have thrilled audiences here:  Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Liberace, Johnny Mathis, The Count Basie Orchestra, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr, Ann Margaret, Linda Ronstadt, John Denver, BB King, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder and Celine Dion.

More than 300 million people have come to the Music Hall to enjoy stage shows, movies, concerts and special events.

There’s no place like it to see a show on stage, everything about it is larger than life.

Radio City Music Hall was designated a New York City landmark in May of 1978.

The Radio City Music Hall Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show still features beloved favorite numbers including “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers” and the “Living Nativity” which has been performed since it’s inception.

There are two to five Christmas shows daily through December 5th, with a run time of 90 minutes.

During the holidays the 84 Rockettes perform 200 shows over 8 weeks with each dancer doing up to 650 kicks per day. Throw in costume changes as short as 78 seconds and a perfectly precise stage map to the inch and you have yourself a pretty festive showing.