Christmas Time in the City

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, or so the Meredith Willson song goes. For over 70 years, New York audiences know Christmas is approaching when the annual Christmas show beings at Radio City Music Hall.

What began as a simple 20-minute vaudeville between picture shows has now grown into a 2-hour extravaganza showcasing the world-famous Rockettes. Trouble is, you could only see the show in New York.

Until now.

The Hummingbird Centre, anxious to find a replacement show for the now-departed National Ballet's annual NUTCRACKER has pulled a major coup in securing the Toronto rights to the RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR.

And spectacular, it is. The Rockettes are Toronto's new top act. Their world-famous high kicking routines galvanized the opening night audience halfway through the opening number.  Santa is there to greet  the kids and act as a narrator/host for the evening (with a little help from Mrs. Claus), and the ensemble sing and dance with great energy.

Sure, some of it is as cheesy as a 1960s TV special, but it's done with such style that you laugh in spite of yourself.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, comes the stirring finale: The Living Nativity. If there is a problem with the show, it's simply that so much of the focus is on the secular side that the sudden shift to Christian solemnity seems almost forced.  This could be easily addressed in future editions by including a few more traditional carols (a sing-a-long perhaps) in the first half.

And hopefully there will be future editions. Let's make it a part of Toronto's Christmas celebration for years to come.

Merry Christmas, everyone!