Surprisingly Spectacular

I also took the family to see some New York entertainment this past weekend. My parents aren’t quite daring enough to brave Fuerzabruta, so I begrudgingly bought tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular instead. I didn’t exactly know what to expect, but I knew I could count on a little face-to-face interaction with almost every tourist within a 100 mile radius of New York. While the crowd outside Radio City was a show unto itself, the actual Christmas Spectacular far exceeded my expectations. The show is celebrating its 75th anniversary and they’ve apparently made some changes to the old routine while maintaining the classic elements that make the show special. From a graphic design standpoint, I found the show to be impeccably produced. It was essentially a series of vignettes on Christmas, ranging from an adaptation of the Nutcracker to a nativity scene, with plenty of Santa Claus sprinkled throughout. My favorite scene were the Rockettes posing as toy soldiers. The number didn’t include too much fancy footwork, but it was timed perfectly, with the Rockettes lining up and slowly maneuvering in and out of various geometric forms. The number concluded with the Rockettes lining up and slowly falling back on each other like a row of dominos, reacting to a toy cannon explosion. It looked pretty amazing from (far, far) up in the balcony. Our friend Helen is a Rockette alumnus. I’m sad I missed seeing her in the Christmas show by a year or two, but I’m happy I was convinced to go. It’s truly a New York experience that every New Yorker should be forced to see with out-of-town guests at least once.