The Radio City Glitzmas Spectacular

[nycdncr]

Posted: 11/6/07 at 11:25pm

So...it's finally happened. The Radio City Christmas Show has become the Glitzmas show. Ever since I've been here, the show has always followed the typical cheese-ball secular Christmas numbers with a beautiful living Nativity. This year, I am horrified to report, the Nativity follows a big sparkly number celebrating 75 years, complete with 'raining' mylar glitter that makes a reappearance when the capes of the wisemen stir up what's left on the stage floor. At the end of the beautiful Nativity, ushers stream down the aisles with light-up stars and encourage everyone to light their own up like we're at a circus. So, the last few moments of the Nativity are completely lost to people rummaging around, unwrapping the toy, lighting it, then waving it like we're at Madison Square Garden watching the Ringling Brothers. 'One Solitary Life' has been axed. Now the cast comes back out, bows, the Rockettes come back out and kick, and we have a sing-a-long to a cheese-ball cruise ship, theme park version of Joy to the World, complete with singers competing with each other for who can riff more intricately and sing higher. Closing the show with the living Nativity was always something I commended Radio City with since it is called CHRISTmas, but leave it to the new directorial staff to bulldoze the real meaning of the holiday.