Inside Radio City Music Hall: The World's Largest Indoor Theater

[lively music] Hi, AD.

Hi, AD.

Hi, AD.

[lively music continues]

[Three Dancers] Welcome to Radio City Music Hall.

[lively music]

[gentle music]

Hi, I'm Sydney Mesher.

I'm originally from Portland, Oregon

and this is my sixth season as a Radio City Rockette.

And here we are in the orchestra at Radio City Music Hall.

My first time here actually was when I graduated college.

I sat in these seats myself

and then when I received my diploma,

I got to go up on the amazing stage.

It's a full-circle moment for me.

To be a Rockette performing on this stage,

every detail of Radio City really adds

to the joy and experience of art in the show.

There's so much detail relating back to costuming,

performance, dance, music, details in the bathroom,

the metal leafs that you might see on the door,

it all pertains back to theater.

Another fun detail is our carpet.

This carpet is the singing ladies,

and it's supposed to be individual women

singing their own songs.

There is a little bit of a debate,

our arches are meant to look like a sunset

overlooking the water,

and so people do think that the women might be fish.

I think they do resemble underwater friends,

but I do believe and think that they are women.

This theater in total

with all three mezzanines means holds over 6,000 seats.

There is not a bad seat in the house,

and I mean that genuinely.

There's not an obstructed view, so anywhere you sit,

you get such an incredible view of the stage.

And I like to try sitting in different spots in the house

so you can get a different view of the show.

My favorite seat is right in the first row

of the first mezzanine

because you can see some of the formations from overhead,

which we work so hard as Rockettes,

to make sure that they're very precise

and very clean so you can really appreciate them

when you are from that above vantage point.

And then you can also still see our faces,

which is fun in our performance.

I truly do perform differently knowing that everyone

can see specifically with our formations

and things like that, our stage is so large

and there are 36 of us Rockettes on stage at a time.

We work really hard just to make sure

that our lines are very clear, very straight,

which we are also so well known for as Rockettes.

One of my favorite parts

of Radio City is the magnificent curtain that we have.

This curtain is over two tons, so it is massive.

When we start off the Christmas Spectacular,

I actually am facing upstage,

so I don't see the curtain rise, I can only hear it.

[curtain whirring]

I have chills when I think about that moment,

the sound of the curtain rising

is truly something I'll never forget.

It helps me get into that show mode,

but I wish I could like somehow record it

and have that for the rest of my life

because there is nothing like the sound

of the curtain rising here at Radio City.

There are many things that happen behind the scenes

to bring the Christmas Spectacular

together here at Radio City.

And with that as a whole team of production,

many masterminds working hard to make sure

that the show works effortlessly.

And one of those people is Jess, let's go chat with her.

[lively music]

I grew up in New York,

but we actually never saw the show as a family.

So the first time I ever saw it was I was 23 years old.

It was a 9:00 AM on a Saturday morning,

and I was with seven of my college roommates

and we sat in the third mez.

What an unbelievable experience

and I remember leaning forward

like I was a child just in wonder.

And now that I'm part of it on a daily basis,

it's just a dream come true.

Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932

and was and still is, the world's largest indoor theater.

It has been restored over time to its original designs.

The coves are actually really iconic

to Radio City Music Hall,

and they're both functional and beautiful.

They actually hide 5,000 stage lights.

So during the Christmas Spectacular,

we actually have projections in a lot of different scenes.

It could be a magical snow globe as you whisked away

to the North Pole or the sites

and scenes of a New York City skyline.

This is our Wurlitzer organ,

which is original to the building from 1932.

There are 4,000 pipes hidden within the coves

and at various points during the Christmas Spectacular,

the organist plays behind a curtain

and then the platform will come out

and the audience can see.

So the stage that we're on is actually one floor

below street level

and is an entire New York City block wide.

The stage at Radio City Music Hall is actually made up

of four different elevators that can go down 27 feet

or above stage at 13 feet.

It's original to the building from 1932.

During World War II,

the government had agents stationed here

as they were using similar technology

for elevators on aircraft carriers

and they didn't want enemy spies to get the information.

But for our purposes,

we use it to get performers from different places, props,

and to create some really special effects on stage.

We think about the stage as one giant piece of grid paper.

So there's 1,100 different markings on the stage,

including numbers, solid lines

and dotted lines where the Rockettes

and the rest of the cast line up to be in proper formation.

Another really cool feature of the stage

at Radio City Music Hall is this massive turntable.

We use it in various places during the show to create depth

and special effects

and it's original to the building from 1932.

[lively music]

we are heading back into the wings,

which is where the actors

and the Rockettes wait for their cues.

We actually also above us have different places

where we hold storage for scenic pieces like Santa's sleigh

and the double-decker bus.

There's also an intricate pulley system

that controls different curtains,

and all of this is controlled by over 200 crew members.

There's as much choreography happening backstage

as there is on stage.

So this is the control panel where the elevators

that we just saw before are actually controlled from

and over here is the contour curtain.

So you can see the arch of the curtain

and that is manually positioned.

Even though it's 2025

and the Christmas Spectacular is delivering this amazing

over-the-top technologically advanced show,

everything on stage is still controlled from this panel,

original to 1932.

I'm really excited to hear the show this year.

Now that we've installed Sphere Immersive Sound,

this is the same sound system

installed in Sphere in Las Vegas.

To do this, we had to install 7,000 speakers

throughout the theater.

We have singers, a live 36-person orchestra,

and the Rockettes even have little microphones

in each of their tap shoes,

so sound is really important to the Christmas Spectacular.

[lively music]

Hi, my name is Maya Addie.

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona

and this is my fifth season as a Radio City Rockette.

Come along with me

as I show you the stage right quick change booth.

So my first time coming to Radio City Music Hall

was the fall of 2017, my freshman year of college,

the Rockettes had been coming

to my college for workshop classes

for about two to three times each semester,

and I had the opportunity to come see the show.

It's crazy to think that I'm here now five years later

doing the same show that inspired me.

Our first number in the show is Sleigh Ride,

and that's actually the only routine

that we get dressed in our dressing rooms.

And then the rest of the show

we change either in the quick change booth

or stage level in the wings or below stage level.

So this is one of the rooms where there could be 12 to 15

of us in here changing from costume to costume.

We have some changes that are as quick as 78 seconds.

So as soon as we come into the room,

we actually have our names lined up.

It's usually by alphabetical order.

And my last name being Addie, I'm first,

which is super easy to find

as soon as you walk into the room.

This is our Parade of the Warden Soldiers costume.

It hasn't changed at all basically since its inception,

any Rockette that's been a Rockette

has been able to perform in this numbers.

It's kind of the connection point that we have

between all of the Rockettes' past

and present which is really special.

In this routine we are toy soldiers.

We don't have any bends in our arms or legs.

And so even in the pants as you see these stripes,

we wanna make sure that our fingers

are lined up with the stripes.

These pants are super stiff so that you don't see any bend.

This costume is from our high energy tap routine,

12 Days of Christmas, which is super exciting.

I love this costume. We definitely wear it for events.

It's a really cute costume

that I think all of us would say

is probably one of our favorites to wear.

Dance of the Frost Fairies is our lyrical routine.

And this costume is beautiful.

It's designed by Greg Barnes,

and there's six different designs in six different colors.

It's one of the few moments on stage

that we kind of feel like we have our own individual aspect

that we can bring to the stage.

And we actually have fairy drones

that are flying high throughout the audience

to create that winter wonderland feeling.

The drones are actually designed to resemble our costumes

that we're wearing on stage,

so it feels like there's Rockettes

out flying in the audience

while you're also seeing Rockettes dancing on stage.

Every now and then in-between a quick change,

we'll actually run into our director, Julie Branam.

Julie knows exactly the feeling

that we have when we're backstage gearing up

for our next routine because that was exactly what she did

so it's nice to have someone that can really understand

what we're going through in that moment.

[lively music]

I came to New York City from Des Moines, Iowa in 1979

for the very first time.

My first night I ever spent in New York City

was at Radio City Music Hall.

I have never seen anything so magnificent in my life.

Never did I know I would spend 38 years

of my career working here.

This year, 2025, marks 100 years of Rockettes.

It's an amazing feat and I expect it to continue on

and on because they're such a remarkable group

of women coming together to make magic.

So the Rockettes were founded in 1925

by Russell Markert in St. Louis, Missouri.

They moved to New York City

and went to the Roxy Theater

where they were known as the Roxyettes.

And then in December 27th 1932 when the theater opened

they performed in that opening night show and have now

and forever have called their home Radio City Music Hall.

The Rockettes are really more than just a kick line.

They stand for certain things

and they fought hard in the seventies

when they were actually going to demolish

this beautiful place, can you imagine?

The Rockettes banded together

with not only other dancers in the show

there was a ballet company at the time

but with the crew the stage hands the ushers

everybody that worked in this building

they actually got petition signed,

they got the news to come watch some of the stunts they did

to save this beautiful building

and to save their home

because of all these efforts

Radio City musical in 1978

was made a New York City landmark.

I have to say as I sit here now I look

and I, do I have the best office?

I'm so lucky to work here.

A lot of times I come in before other people are in

and I just sit in the theater, quiet, think of new ideas,

think of ways we can make the Rockettes

look better than ever,

think how we can make this beautiful theater

look better than ever.

It's really has my heart in every way.

[lively music]

Hi, I'm Bailey Harding.

I'm from New Rochelle, New York,

and this is my 14th season as a Radio City Rockette.

So as you can see, we're here in the Grand Foyer

at Radio City Music Hall

and this is the first moment our audience members

will come into the theater

and experience the magic of this building.

I have such a fond memory of coming to Radio City,

seven-year-old little girl,

dance dreams, big as the sky,

and coming into this theater

to just see the grand spectacle

that is Radio City Music Hall,

it left such an impression on me

that I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

Radio City Music Hall always brings a sense of awe

and wonderment to its audience members,

but I think more specifically at Christmas time,

there is this buzzing, this electricity

of everyone anticipating to see the Rockettes

and the Christmas Spectacular.

So to feel that tangible electricity

from our audience members is so exciting to be a part of.

During the holidays we love to decorate the Grand Foyer

to give it a little more extra Christmas cheer.

Whenever I walk by, I help,

can't help but to feel a little extra nostalgia

because when I was a little girl,

I came to see the Rockettes

and I got a Rockette Barbie doll.

It's still in the box to this day and it's so special to me.

So when I look behind the table

and I see these Rockette dolls,

I can't help but to think about the next generation

of little girls that are gonna become Rockettes one day.

The Grand Foyer has its own crazy rhythm

and it's really held together by one guy,

and that's Clinton.

I'm Clinton Neils, and I'm the Senior Vice President

and General Manager,

Radio City Music Hall Theater operations.

My first experience here at Radio City Music Hall

was in 1990, 17 years old, my first day on the job,

on that first day when I was a cashier,

not knowing 35 years later I'll be here

as the general manager of Radio City Music Hall.

Walking into the grand foyer, it seems overwhelming,

but it becomes very intimate

once the crowd starts to come in.

It's one of those things that you have to stop,

which is actually sometimes an issue

where people stop at the doors

because they can't believe what they're seeing

in front of 'em, stepping off the street,

and literally coming into another world.

The Grand Foyer was designed in Art Deco form

by Donald Deskey.

The chandeliers when you walk in are 29 feet in height,

approximately 4,000 pounds by Edward Caldwell.

The carpet that's laid under your feet is actually depicted

with six various instruments.

Another focal point is the beautiful mural,

Fountain of Youth

that's located over the grand stairs,

designed by Ezra Winter.

Leading into preparing for Christmas,

we decorate the hall throughout every crevice

of the building, from the front of house to back of house,

and obviously the seating area for our guests.

The crystal tree, when you walk in

as approximately 35 feet in height

and about 1,100 pounds, we have various crew members

that over a course of two days assemble it together.

Good thing about it is everything is numbered,

so it's like a huge crystal jigsaw puzzle.

So once all areas are decorated, it's really transformative.

It really brings everybody into the spirit.

There's definitely three frequently asked questions

when people enter into the foyer.

One, where's the restroom?

Two, how do I get to my seat?

And the third, can you please take my picture

in front of this beautiful aesthetic?

We never get tired of those questions being asked

by our guests, it actually compliments us every time.

[lively music]

Thanks so much for coming to Radio City Music Hall.

We hope you enjoyed learning about our home.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Bye. Bye.

[lively music]