The Rockettes will kick off a new show this spring at Radio City Music Hall, and they’ve enlisted one of Broadway’s biggest stars to help them out!
Laura Benanti, who won a Tony for her turn in the 2008 revival of “Gypsy,” will lead the Rockettes in “New York Spring Spectacular,” a song and dance spectacular that will celebrate the charm of the Big Apple.
Co-conceived by Tony winner Diane Paulus and directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle (“After Midnight”), “New York Spring Spectacular” features 36 Rockettes alongside some 40 ensemble performers.
The show, also co-created by “Sleep No More” producer Randy Weiner, originally began as “Hearts and Lights” and was expected to premiere in spring 2014, but was nixed at the last minute.
Benanti, who can currently be seen on ABC’s “Nashville,” plays the new owner of a NYC tour company who wants to take the tours of a yet-to-be-cast veteran tour guide viral.
Along their tour of New York, Benanti and The Rockettes will meet a number of other New York celebrities, including Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and a roster of sports figures, all of whom appear in pre-recorded video segments.
“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg will also appear — as the recorded voice of the show’s oversized Statue of Liberty puppet.
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Emmy-winning “So You Think You Can Dance” choreographer Mia Michaels will choreograph the show’s opening number.
“New York Spring Spectacular” begins performances on March 12, with a March 26 opening. The limited run will end May 3.
If successful, MSG Entertainment, owner of Radio City, will annually present the seasonal attraction — as a springtime version of the “Christmas Spectacular,” if you will.