COME FROM AWAY to Perform on NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center Special

NBC's "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" promises an evening of cheer with a special performance by the cast from the Tony and Olivier Award-winning hit Broadway musical "Come From Away" prior to the iconic tree lighting. The annual holiday special will air Wednesday, Dec. 1 at 8-10 p.m. ET/PT.

The special will also include performances from the Pentatonix, José Feliciano, CNCO and the previously announced Alessia Cara, Harry Connick Jr., Mickey Guyton, Norah Jones, Brad Paisley, Rob Thomas, Carrie Underwood and the Radio City Rockettes. NBC News' "TODAY" co-anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Craig Melvin are set to host.

The tradition of the Rockefeller Christmas tree dates back to 1931 during the Great Depression. The first official tree-lighting ceremony occurred two years later in 1933 in front of the then eight-month-old RCA Building (the current Comcast Building). The Christmas tree gathering was enhanced in 1936 with the opening of the Rockefeller Plaza outdoor ice-skating rink. NBC-TV televised the tree lighting for the first time in 1951 on "The Kate Smith Show" and as part of the nationwide "Howdy Doody" television show from 1953-55.

The 89th annual holiday special will celebrate the lighting of a 79-foot tall, 46-foot wide Norway Spruce from Elkton, Md. The tree weighs approximately 12 tons, will be adorned with more than 50,000 multi-colored energy efficient LED lights and topped with a stunning Swarovski star.

The Tony and Olivier Award-winning musical Come From Away is now playing at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. The cast features De'lon Grant; Joel Hatch; Caesar Samayoa; James Seol; Q. Smith; Petrina Bromley; Olivier Award nominee Rachel Tucker; Astrid Van Wieren; Emily Walton; Jim Walton; Sharon Wheatley; Paul Whitty; Josh Breckenridge; John Jellison; Tony LePage; Monette McKay; Happy McPartlin and Julie Reiber.

COME FROM AWAY began performances on February 18, 2017, and officially opened to critical acclaim on March 12, 2017, at Broadway's Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre (236 West 45th Street), where the show continued to play to standing- room-only audiences until it was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic on March 12, 2020, the evening of its third anniversary on Broadway. On Tuesday, September 21, 2021, Come From Away will return to Broadway to play its 1,251st performance.

COME FROM AWAY tells the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships.

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