Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSGE) will launch an arena touring version of its Radio City Christmas Spectacular this year, a first in the show’s 76-year history.
The new Spectacular, re-imagined specifically for large-scale venues, will play in 18 cities, starting November 17 in Green Bay, WI, and concluding January 4, 2009 in Houston, TX. Although there are some one nighters, there are many two- to four-day stays and a six-day stand in Baltimore, MD. The arena production was specifically designed to play in large venues scaled to capacities ranging from 7,000 – 12,000. The tour’s production is huge and will travel in 30 trucks and 16 buses. Traditional fan-favorites, such as the “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” will remain in the road show.
“The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is the #1 live holiday production in the world and has been a cherished part of holiday family traditions for generations,” said Jonathan Hochwald, executive vice president, Productions, MSG Entertainment, in a statement. “Straight from the great stage of Radio City Music Hall, the scope and scale of this new production of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular is going to raise the bar for live family entertainment.”
“My vision for the Rockettes and the Christmas Spectacular has always been to explore scale and take the precision dance form to new levels, whether in a theatrical venue or an arena space,” added Linda Haberman, director and choreographer, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. “In my view, the mark of a true classic is that it is timeless, relevant and can be re-interpreted to push artistic boundaries.”
The Christmas Spectacular remains at Radio City Music Hall for numerous performances per day from Nov. 7- Dec. 30, while road show returns to theaters in five cities this year, including Buffalo, NY; Nashville, TN; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; and St. Louis, MO.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular arena itinerary:
Nov 7-8 Green Bay, WI Brown County Arena
Nov 11-12 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Nov 13-16 Milwaukee, WI US Cellular Arena
Nov 17-18 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center
Nov 19-20 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Nov 21-23 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
Nov 26 Dayton, OH Nutter Center
Nov 28-30 Cincinnati, OH U.S. Bank Arena
Dec 2-7 Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena
Dec 9-10 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Dec 12-14 Birmingham, AL BJCC
Dec 15-16 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center
Dec 17-18 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
Dec 19-21 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Dec 22-24 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Dec 26-28 Oklahoma City, OK Ford Center
Dec 30-31 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
Jan 2-4 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Radio City Christmas Spectacular theater itinerary:
Nov 7-Dec 30 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall
Nov 13-30 Buffalo, NY Shea’s PAC
Nov 14-Dec 28 Nashville, TN Grand Ole Opry
Nov 20-Dec 7 Chicago, IL Rosemont Theatre
Dec 4-28 Cleveland, OH Playhouse Square
Dec 11-28 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre
