New York Spectacular NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The Rockettes are the stars of this sensory-overload summer show...But the whole enterprise is misshapen, its disconnected episodes strung together by a story that has no real reason for being and whose human scale feels utterly dwarfed on the gigantic Radio City stage...It’s a glittery pageant, where music, dance and design need to be paramount. Put those at the center, replace cynicism with celebration, and you might have entertainment worth watching."
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"It all feels like the most expensive and over-the-top I ❤ NY ad, ever. And yet, this celebration of the Big Apple is often hard to resist. From a technical standpoint it's always impressive, with arresting visuals making up for tepid (often garbled) dialogue and performances dwarfed by the cavernous venue. But the show's best special effects are the stylish precision dancers...They're guaranteed to convert even the most jaded natives."
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"Radio City Music Hall has been trying hard to give its precision-dance troupe, the Rockettes, something to do beyond Christmas — with little luck...But the third time’s the charm. This year’s edition, choreographed and directed by Mia Michaels, uses most of the same building blocks but improves on them — even if the new book, about a tourist family that gets separated in New York City, is still too gushy and rah-rah."
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“The production isn't quite sure what it wants to be. The songs, orchestrated with a hip-hop beat by Christopher Jahnke, are completely unrecognizable. The script rarely has the pithy verve that is Beane's stock-in-trade as a playwright...Under Michaels' slack direction, the dialogue scenes get lost in a stage filled with massive set pieces and projections...Most disappointing is the choreography, which feels rudimentary and devoid of the flair that won Michaels an Emmy.”
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“An unflattering dark streak runs through this 85-minute evening, ensuring that, although it may be many things, unbridled fun is never really one of them...Beyond curb-stomping credulity, it sets up the show as one based on loss and fear, rather than joy, which is an odd, frequently unsettling approach....Mia Michaels's production feels as if it's making excuses."
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"Both in their billing and physically onstage, the Rockettes become the main attraction — exactly what one might expect from a Radio City experience...The top-notch cast support the production with a story that entertains, teaches, and tugs at the heartstrings, all in equal parts…The choreography was sharp and precise, and one could definitely feel Michaels’ influence in each dance...The beauty of the story is that it never loses its heart, ultimately reminding us to never lose our inner child."
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"The new eye-popping summer show will not only lift your spirits, but also put you in the most glorious New York state of mind…Michaels has put fire in the bellies of the Rockettes. Their energy, first seen in the opening number set to Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York,' is palpable. And it only gets better…Each production number breathes fresh air into a commodity that dates back to 1925...Beane’s script is chock-full of ripe one-liners, but many get lost in the echoey hall."
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"'New York Spectacular,' a new summer show that features the Radio City Rockettes and some terrific sets, aims to tap into a similar demographic as Broadway. But its appeal to tourists is more direct. It’s basically a sightseeing tour of New York. In a thin plot, the two children of a family visiting the city get separated from their parents while in the subway...It’s hokey, sure, but the sets and the video and projection design are so visually splendid."
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