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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2010 > December > 20 > Entry
Review: The Rockettes’ ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’
They’ve got legs, and they know how to use them.
The Rockettes, the iconic precision dance troupe hailing from New York, are currently on tour as part of the ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular.’ And judging from the applause that rang out in Bass Concert Hall each time the Rockettes formed their signature kick line, Austin audiences are happy to see them.
The ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular,’ as you might guess from the title, is loaded with Christmas cliches and over-the-top stagecraft, much of it geared toward entertaining children and families. Santa Claus (William Thomas Evans) plays a prominent role, and at the risk of getting a lump of coal in my stocking this year, let’s just say that he is appropriately rotund and jolly.
The Rockettes are a lot of fun and the highlight of the show. Their sharp, strong routines combine the smiling faces and sequined costumes of a beauty pageant, the precision of a military drill team, and the fancy unison footwork of groups like Riverdance. Every time the dancers kick their famous legs and move in harmony, the effect is impressive.
Two numbers stand out. In ‘The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,’ which has been part of the annual holiday show since 1933, The Rockettes are awesomely controlled as they play wooden soldiers come to life. And in ‘Christmas Dreams,’ they smoothly play shimmering snowflakes dancing in a winter wonderland.
‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ makes a dramatic shift at the end, when it brings the nativity story to life. Actors perform in a sumptuous staging of the Biblical tale, complete with live camels and sheep, which elicited gasps from the audience. This living nativity, which has also been part of the show since the 1930s, may be the most theatrical, visually stunning Christmas pageant ever.
Despite attempts to make the show current with jokes about Santa’s cell phone and website, the ‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ has a decidedly nostalgic feel. It hearkens back to the lavish stage revues of the early twentieth century, shows like the Ziegfeld Follies, whose lines of dancing girls were the inspiration for The Rockettes. It’s a unique experience to watch a performance that holds traces of history in every high kick.
‘Radio City Christmas Spectacular’ continues through Dec. 26, Tues-Wed at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Thursday at 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m., Friday at 1 p.m., and Sunday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Drive. Tickets $25.50-$69.50.’(512) 477- 6060 www.texasperformingarts.org.
Claire Canavan is an American-Statesman freelance arts critic.
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