New York Spring Spectacular Starring the Rockettes Showcase Music by Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift
Weinstein Live Entertainment and MSG Entertainment's production of the New York Spring Spectacular extravaganza at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the Rockettes, Nashville actress Laura Benanti, and Dancing with the Stars' Derek Hough, will be bringing and showcasing the music of Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, Madonna, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Demi Lovato, and Taylor Swift. After previewing Thursday, March 12, the show will formally be opened on March 26 and will run through May 3, 2015.
Directed by Warren Carlyle and choreographed by Mia Michaels, the musical extravaganza, is the first major new spring show of the Rockettes since 1997. Recognized as an American institution since the late 1920s, the prestigious precision song-and-dance company is traditionally only seen during the Christmas season performing in five shows a day, seven days a week, at the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
On what may be expected from the limited engagement New York Spring Spectacular, director Carlyle in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter said: "I want it to be classic and last forever, but since the Christmas show is so traditional, there's an opportunity here for me to do something less traditional, choreographically and musically. [For the set list,' it was picking music that appealed and inspired me - simple as that!" Choreographer Michaels added: "The Rockettes are iconic - there's an institution that needs to be respected, so it's about taking their structure, precision and formations and keeping them intact, and infusing [today's] movements inside of that."
The show opens with the song "Welcome to New York" by Swift whom Michael spoke highly of, saying, "She is an amazing songwriter, that girl, and as soon as I heard it, I knew. I just moved back to New York as well, so it was personal for me. We rearranged it so it's less of the pop song you'd hear on the radio: the girls are singing it, and it's a little more theatrical." Carlyle however wants to reassure fans of the traditional Rockettes extravaganza that the upcoming show still closes with their signature "hat and cane" number with all 36 dancers on the stage.
Carlyle, asked what he hopes to accomplish with the show, answered: "I love this city, and I wanted to communicate that to audiences - I want them to leave this building, if they're from here, falling in love with the city all over again, or if they're not from New York, getting to experience this great city in 90 minutes of spectacle. I really wanted it to be a love letter to New York. It's a magical place; I'm constantly challenged and inspired by it."