If we didn’t find “bucket lists” so irksome, Radio City Music Hall would have been on ours.
This neon encrusted art deco masterpiece, and home of the Radio City Rockettes is a must see.
Opening in 1932, as part of The Rockefeller Centre, it was designed as an opera house by Edward Durell Stone and Donald Deskey and was the world’s largest auditorium when it opened.
The glorious art filled four-tiered theatre has almost 6000 seats and has lived several lives, from vaudeville, to movie theatre, church, rock venue, award show host, TV game show studio, and most famously, the home of the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. (if you only go once, this is the show you should see … are they live camels? .. did Santa just fly through the air? … are those Rockettes entering the stage on an actual bus!?…. oh, and don’t forget to visit the restrooms because they are glamorous. There are several, and no two are alike.!!!)
There is a great backstage tour you can take that includes a stroll through the secret rooftop apartment hidden on top of the theatre and meeting an actual Rockette! It’s nice to have time in the space when it’s not filled with people so you can appreciate everything from the pattern on the carpet to the handrails on the staircase. You’ll also stand on the 100-foot-wide stage and look up at the 60-foot-high proscenium arch designed to look like the setting sun. It’s breathtaking. And for dancers, the Rockettes hold a dance camp that is a budding showgirl’s dream come true.
In 1978 Radio City Music Hall was added to the National Register of historic places.
In addition to the Christmas Spectacular, and many concerts throughout the year, it is also home to Broadway’s annual Tony Awards.
Try and visit at night if you can, as the wrap around marquee sign and seven story neon signs are sublime at night. Look also for the six bronze plaques of musicians playing different instruments, and the three large enamel plaques representing dance, drama, and song.
There is so much design and decoration at Radio City Music Hall, you’ll want to visit again and again, and you’ll always see something new … and don’t forget to visit the gift store, because I wouldn’t have a Radio City snow globe, or a light up twirling Rockette doll without it.
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New York No. 8 - last visited March 2024
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