Although the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be virtual this year, there still will be giant balloons, and giant stars from Broadway shows, with performances by the casts of “Hamilton,” “Mean Girls,” “Jagged Little Pill,” and “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations,” and a a solo ballerina dancing as The Nutcracker‘s Sugar Plum Fairy.In line with safety protocols, the musical performances may not feature full casts and staging. Ain’t Too Proud‘s Tony-winning choreographer Sergio Trujillo, is reworking them with social distancing in mind.
It may give us a preview of what Broadway shows will look like when they re-open once again, hopefully in June.
The performance of The Nutcracker‘s Sugar Plum Fairy, presented by New York City Ballet, does not have to be re-worked for social distancing, since it’s a solo.
Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos, and Lin-Manuel Miranda in the original Broadway cast of Hamilton. Photo © Joan Marcus via TheaterMania
Among the stars slated to appear are Hamilton Tony winner Leslie Odom Jr., Patti LaBelle, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Tori Kelly, characters from Sesame Street, Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, and Jordin Sparks.
Typically, Broadway shows perform outside the iconic Macy’s 34th Street flagship storefront while floats with guest stars, marching bands, and those beloved helium-filled balloons parading down Central Park West to Midtown, with as many as three million kids and the grown-ups who love them line the sidewalks.
This year, the spectacle will be condensed to one city block around Macy’s, on 34th Street, primarily just for broadcast rather than in-person crowds.
And the streets around Macy’s will be shut down, so there is no live in-person public viewing this year – only TV.
Also cancelled this year is the annual Balloonfest on the streets around the American Museum of Natural History, where you could watch the giant balloons get inflated, one arm and leg and hat at a time, the night before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This is the 94th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and it has been reimagined in almost every way.
Instead of as many as 30 handlers controlling the giant balloons, they will be latched to trucks.
Marching bands and other entertainment segments are being pre-taped. Even Santa is pre-taped.
The show, to air on NBC, will be hosted by Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker and will feature a a list of popular celebrities from the worlds of music and television.
In alphabetical order, the lineup includes:
Lauren Alaina, Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus, Ally Brooke, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Karol G, Tori Kelly, Patti LaBelle, Ella Mai, Miss America 2020 Camille Schrier, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Leslie Odom Jr., Keke Palmer, Dolly Parton, Pentatonix, Bebe Rexha, Jordin Sparks, Sebastián Yatra, and Brett Young.
Even though the parade is different this year, there are still some wonderful historical facts and trivia about its 94 years of history.
Historical Facts about Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Evelyn Kanter is a native New Yorker who has written for the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, New York Magazine, and is a former on-air reporter for WCBS Newsradio 88 and WABC-TV Eyewitness News.
NYCOTC Editor Evelyn Kanter also is the author of several NYC and Hudson Valley guidebooks, including my latest, 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die.
Purchase autographed copies by emailing evelyn@nyconthecheap.com
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