Christmas in June?-Radio City Christmas Spectacular

THE RADIO CITY CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR TO BRING AN ALL NEW PRODUCTION TO THE AKOO THEATRE AT ROSEMONT
DECEMBER 14-30, 2012

THE ROCKETTES TAKE CHICAGO ON AN UNPARALLELED
CHRISTMAS JOURNEY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON FEATURING
NEW SCENES, DAZZLING COSTUMES AND A 50-FOOT LED SCREEN COUPLED WITH SHOW STOPPING ROCKETTES PERFORMANCES

*Tickets On-Sale Friday, June 1 at 10am 

Are you one of those uber organized people who likes to get the Christmas list taken care of well in advance of Black Friday and avoid the rush?   Does summer's impending heat index have you nostalgic for a little chilly cheer?   Then this is the scoop for you.
                                                       

MSG Entertainment (MSGE) announces an all new production of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes, as Chicago audiences will experience the magic of Christmas like never before. In this multi-faceted production, the Rockettes will dance their way through an awe-inspiring journey with new scenes, an array of glamorous new costumes, dramatic lighting effects, and a 50-foot LED screen that will enhance the show with breathtaking new imagery. The Christmas Spectacular will run at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont from December 14-30, 2012. Tickets go on sale Friday, June 1 at 10am.

“We are thrilled to return to Chicago at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont with an all new edition of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular,” said Don Simpson, executive vice president of productions, MSG Entertainment. “With new technological enhancements and show-stopping performance elements, the 2012 production offers a truly immersive experience like nothing Chicago audiences have ever seen before. Returning audiences will be amazed by the transformation of the Christmas Spectacular, and new fans will not want to miss this show.”

The Rockettes have a long-standing relationship with the Rosemont Theatre with the debut of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 1997.  This year marks the 11th season the Christmas Spectacular will perform at the Rosemont Theatre, the last production being in 2008.For many Chicago area families, seeing the Rockettes perform in the beloved holiday show has become a family tradition and this year audiences can experience the magic of the holidays with an all new production. While in Chicago, the Rockettes also become known as an embodiment of the spirit of giving and embracing the community by participating in many great local charitable initiatives including collecting coats and canned food for the needy, visiting children’s hospitals and helping to raise awareness for worthy causes.

This year, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular celebrates 85 magical years of the Rockettes, commemorating their past, present and future in this unprecedented milestone year. The Rockettes have remained a timeless tradition as American icons throughout their 85 year legacy.  They continue to take the Christmas Spectacular to new heights, dazzling audiences with their performance style as it continues to be both deceivingly complex and entirely glamorous.

This year’s production will feature a 50-foot LED screen that will transport the audience to Times Square and Santa’s Workshop with Santa and the Rockettes, using new technology with the Christmas Spectacular’s classic holiday numbers to enhance the production. The 2012 edition of the show will introduce new sets and special effects that will immerse audiences in the magic of Christmas like never before.

In addition to fan favorite scenes, including the high-energy, tap-infused number “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” the Rockettes will debut new numbers that will showcase their signature precision dance technique alongside challenging and dynamic new choreography. 

In a brand new scene, “New York at Christmas,” the Rockettes will board a life size double-decker tour bus, taking audiences on a guided tour through the streets of New York City.  This scene includes show-stopping choreography performed across the landscape of iconic New York City landmarks and culminates in the “crossroads of the world,” Times Square. 

Santa Claus will take center stage in two magical new scenes: “Magic is There,” in which Santa takes two young brothers on a journey to the North Pole, and “Here Comes Santa Claus,” a number that reveals how Santa can be in multiple places at once. These heartwarming moments highlight the true meaning of Christmas in a way that only Santa himself can convey.

A new Rockettes finale will honor and celebrate the stars of the Christmas Spectacular featuring dazzling new costumes and choreography. The Rockettes will sparkle from the stage in the finale performance “Let Christmas Shine,” wearing a costume featuring over 3,000 crystals. As the performance comes to a close, audiences will have the opportunity to lend their voices alongside the “Radio City Singers” in an energetic rendition of “Joy to the World.”

Beloved numbers such as “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” which continues to set the standard as the signature Rockettes number for precision performance, and “The Living Nativity,” both of which have been performed since the Christmas Spectacular’s inception, still remain a vital part of the show’s core.

In the Christmas Spectacular’s18-year combined history outside of New York, as well as the production at Radio City Music Hall, the show has played to more than 72 million people. The Christmas Spectacular continues to create memories that audiences have come to treasure, and this year will mark an all new Spectacular experience for Chicago.

Ticket Information
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, presented by Chase, plays at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont during the 2012 holiday season for 34 dazzling performances, December 14-30, 2012.  A limited number of Premium seats are available for $79.00 - $89.00 and single ticket prices range from $30.00 - $75.50. Tickets for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular are on sale to the public at the Akoo Theatre at Rosemont box office, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000.  Groups of 10 or more may reserve tickets now by contacting Group Theater Tix at 312-423-6612.   

About MSG Entertainment
MSG Entertainment (MSGE) is one of the country’s leaders in live entertainment.  MSG Entertainment creates, produces and/or presents a variety of live productions, including the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, starring the Rockettes.  MSG Entertainment also presents or hosts other live entertainment events such as concerts, family shows and special events in MSG’s diverse collection of venues.  These venues include Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, the Chicago Theatre and the Wang Theatre.  More information is available here.

About The Akoo Theatre at Rosemont
Opened in 1995, the 4,400-seat theater is known as one of the Chicago areas best venues for music and theatrical performances and special events. Located at 5400 N. River Road in the Rosemont region, the venue has one of the largest stages in the area, with a superior sound and lighting system, sizable backstage and roomy dressing rooms. Audiences appreciate the theater’s unobstructed sightlines, comfortable seating and extra-wide aisles. Additional amenities include a multi-level grand lobby featuring a beautifully paneled mahogany staircase and glittering French crystal chandelier, ample concessions areas, a multi-level VIP Suite and parking lots and sheltered garages adjacent to the theatre. The theater is easily accessible by car or public transit and is within easy walking distance of numerous hotels, restaurants and the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

Parent's Night Out: Award Winning Brit Flicks at Music Box

No need to pop for airfare to London’s West End or even Broadway:

CHICAGO’S MUSIC BOX THEATRE PRESENTS SCREENINGS OF TWO NATIONAL THEATRE OF GREAT BRITAIN HITS:

2012 TONY© AWARD-NOMINATED ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS, JUNE 16 & 21, AND  DANNY BOYLE’S SMASH STAGE PRODUCTION OF FRANKENSTEIN, STARRING JONNY LEE MILLER & BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, JUNE 18-19, & JULY 22, 25-26

The Music Box Theatre, Chicago’s year round film festival located at 3733 N. Southport Avenue, is proud to present limited engagement screenings of two National Theatre of Great Britain hits this summer:  the 2012 multiple Tony Award-nominated One Man Two Guvnors, featuring the current Broadway cast that transferred from the National, and Danny Boyle's smash hit stage production of Frankenstein, starring Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch, who alternate in the roles of The Creature and Victor Frankenstein.   

The screenings are produced by National Theatre Live, a groundbreaking initiative of London’s renowned National Theatre to broadcast the best of British theatre to cinemas around the world, both live and in “encore screenings” (repeats of the live performances that are recorded and replayed without losing any of their magic and immediacy). The first season of events, which began in June 2009 with the acclaimed production of Phèdre starring Helen Mirren, was seen by over 165,000 people on 320 screens in 22 countries.
 
The comedy sensation One Man, Two Guvnors stars British breakout comic actor (and Tony nominee for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role in a Play) James Corden as Francis Hensall (“One Man”).  Always famished and easily confused, Henshall agrees to work for a local gangster as well as a criminal in hiding (“Two Guvnors”), both of whom are linked in a web of schemes, extortions and romantic associations…none of which Francis can keep straight. He has to do everything in his power to keep his two guvnors from meeting, while trying to eat anything in sight along the way.  Simple.  Falling trousers, flying fish heads, star-crossed lovers, cross-dressing mobsters and a fabulous on-stage band are just some of what awaits at this most “deliriously funny” (Daily Telegraph) play.  

Richard Bean’s side splitting comedy, directed by Tony- and Olivier-award winning director Nicholas Hytner, is nominated for seven Tony awards for its Broadway engagement, following a sold-out run in London’s West End at the National Theatre.   Encore screenings of One Man, Two Guvnors take place at the Music Box Theatre Saturday, June 16, at 2pm and Thursday, June 21, at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $15 (advance) and $18 (day of), can be purchased at the Music Box Theatre box office or online at www.musicboxtheatre.com.

Academy Award© -winning film director Danny Boyle returned to the stage with an electrifying production of Mary Shelley’s classic 1818 novel Frankenstein about a scientist and his creation.  Called “the most viscerally exciting and stunning show in town,” (Daily Telegraph), Frankenstein enjoyed a sell-out run at the National Theatre in 2011, and went on to win awards including the 2012 Olivier Award for Best Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch ( PBS TV’s “Sherlock Holmes”) and Jonny Lee Miller (“Trainspotting”), who alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature.  

Of note, the British Boyle (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire), who is orchestrating the $42 million Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London, has recently been quoted as saying he took some inspiration from the “Frankenstein” story while formulating his Olympic plans.  Encore screenings of Frankenstein take place at the Music Box Theatre, Monday and Tuesday, June 18 and 19, at 7:30 pm; Sunday, July 22 at 6 and 8:30 pm; and Wednesday and Thursday, July 25 and 26 at 7:30 pm.  There are two versions - Miller and Cumberbatch alternate as Victor Frankenstein and the Creature; for specific casting, please visit www.musicboxtheatre.com.  

Tickets, priced at $15 (advance), $18 (day of), and $20 to see both versions (advance sale only) can be purchased at the Music Box Theatre box office or online at www.musicboxtheatre.com


About the Music Box Theatre:
For nearly 30 years the Music Box Theatre has been the premiere venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films, festivals and some of the greatest cinematic events in Chicago. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD and television markets throughout the United States. www.musicboxtheatre.com.  

SAVE THE DATES AND BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT:

Download the entire Music Box Theatre Summer Calendar here: http://www.musicboxtheatre.com/assets/calendars/MusicBox_Summer2012.pdf

Stars of Tomorrow Youth Music Fest-June 9th

Check out ChiIL Mama's prior Intonation coverage and recent feature on their new CD release right here.