Actress, Singer and Teen Sensation, Bella Thorne
to Voice One of the Featured Puppets in the Highly Anticipated Brand New
Show at Radio City Music Hall, to Debut in March
LIMITED 7 WEEK ENGAGEMENT
BEGINS PREVIEWS MARCH 12, 2015
OPENS ON MARCH 26 AND RUNS THROUGH MAY 3, 2015
NEW YORK, Jan. 5, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MSG Entertainment (MSGE) announced today that Bella Thorne will be the voice of the Alice in Wonderland Statue, one of the featured large-scale puppets that appears in the Central Park scene in the highly-anticipated New York Spring Spectacular . Thorne has appeared in television shows such as Shake It Up, My Own Worst Enemy and Big Love with many more credits to her name. New York Spring Spectacular , presented by Chase, at Radio City Music Hall, will debut in March 2015 and is jointly produced by Madison Square Garden Entertainment and Weinstein Live Entertainment. The limited seven week engagement begins previews on March 12, 2015 and runs through May 3, 2015. Tickets on sale now at www.rockettes.com/spring .
"I couldn't believe when I got the call to voice Alice in Wonderland," says Bella Thorne. "She's one of the most memorable characters in literature, and of course is a statue that I love to visit when I'm in Central Park in New York City. Voicing this character in New York Spring Spectacular is not like anything I've done before and a show unlike anything I've ever seen before!"
In New York Spring Spectacular , the Alice in Wonderland statue magically comes to life when the cast visits Central Park during their thrilling adventure in New York City. The Alice in Wonderland statue is a large-scale puppet controlled by three puppeteers that are hidden behind the giant mushroom that she is sitting on, and Bella Thorne's voice brings the puppet to life. The scene is coupled with state-of-the-art digital projections that will bring audiences to Central Park without ever having to leave their seats. Thorne will be joining an all-star cast in New York Spring Spectacular including Tony winning-actress Laura Benanti starring as the female lead, Jenna, Whoopi Goldberg voicing the Statue of Liberty, with celebrity cameos by Carmelo Anthony, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart and Henrik Lundqvist.
"Bella is a talented actress and singer who is so likable on stage and off . . . just ask her dedicated fan base!" says David Goodman, president, productions and live entertainment at Madison Square Garden Entertainment. "She was a natural fit as the voice of the Alice in Wonderland Statue, which is part of a truly magical moment of New York Spring Spectacular . We are thrilled to have her as part of the show."
Bella Thorne has appeared in television, movies and released a single all by the age of seventeen. Her legions of fans enjoy her insightful comments and postings on social media and when she's not starring in television and movies she spends time with her family in California. Most recently, Thorne starred in the movie version of the classic children's book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day . In addition to her already illustrious career, Thorne is a humanitarian and supports the efforts of the Humane Society, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Nomad Foundation. Bella Thorne has been vocal with her struggles with dyslexia, which has been incredibly inspiring for her young fans, which has inspired her book, Autumn Falls . She can be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @bellathorne.
The New York Spring Spectacular , an all-new show at Radio City Music Hall, takes audiences on a whirlwind adventure across New York City while telling an inspiring and hopeful narrative about three New Yorkers who change each other's lives in unexpectedly wonderful ways. Writer Josh Harmon has fashioned a heartwarming and wondrous journey through New York City.
Bernie has been giving old fashioned tours of New York for decades, but his company was just bought by Jenna, a whipsmart techie with plans to fire Bernie and turn his tours into a virtual reality wonderland. Bernie's in trouble. Enter Jack, a spirited young man with a secret agenda of his own: If he can help Bernie keep his job, Jack will get an eternal reward.
With the assistance of the legendary Rockettes, and guest appearances by some of your favorite New Yorkers, Bernie takes Jenna-- and the audience-- on the tour of a lifetime, from the Statue of Liberty to Central Park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. By the last stop of this whirlwind adventure, these three people will be forever changed, and they will never look at the city the same way again.
Bursting with invigorating new Rockettes dance numbers, incredible 3D special effects, sophisticated large-scale puppetry and an exciting soundtrack of original songs, classics and pop hits, the New York Spring Spectacular is as rejuvenating, energetic and uplifting as spring itself – and a reminder that while things may change, nothing can take away the timeless magic and romance of the one and only New York City!
The New York Spring Spectacular is led by Director and Choreographer Warren Carlyle, a Tony and Drama Desk Award winning director and choreographer, including for such popular Broadway productions as The Mystery of Edwin Drood , A Christmas Story: The Musical and After Midnight , which he also directed and for which he won both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for Best Choreographer. Working by his side are Co-Creative Directors Diane Paulus and Randy Weiner. Paulus is a Tony Award winning Director for the A.R.T.'s Pippin and was among 2014's TIME 100, TIME Magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Weiner is the creator of the Off-Broadway extravaganza Queen of the Night at the Paramount Hotel and is a frequent collaborator with Paulus, most recently working together to create Amaluna for Cirque Du Soleil. Weiner is also the producer of the Drama Desk Award winning New York premiere of Punchdrunk's Sleep No More . Writer Joshua Harmon made his professional New York playwriting debut with the critically acclaimed play Bad Jews , which was produced by Roundabout Underground and was the first play to transfer to the Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre in October 2013. It received Outer Critics Circle and Lortel nominations for Best Play. Harmon earned degrees in playwriting from Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon and studied at Julliard's Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights program. Mia Michaels has been announced as Choreographer of the opening scene. Michaels is well-known for her work on the Fox Television, So You Think You Can Dance and has collaborated with artists such as Prince, Madonna and Celine Dion. Michaels will be choreographing the dynamic opening number of New York Spring Spectacular and will soon be lending her talents to the upcoming Broadway production of Finding Neverland . Variety Magazine named Michaels as "One of the Most Innovative Women" of 2013 and she's received multiple Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography.
Ticket Information
Preview performances of the New York Spring Spectacular begin March 12, 2015 at Radio City Music Hall®. Opens March 26, 2015 and runs for a limited engagement ending May 3, 2015. Prices range from $46 - $100 for previews and regular box office pricing from $50 - $150, depending on show date and time. Tickets are available online at www.rockettes.com/spring , by phone via Ticketmaster at 866-858-0007, or at Radio City's Box Office (50th St. & Avenue of the Americas). Group tickets of 9+ contact Group Sales at 212-465-6080 or group.sales@msg.com . Box Office hours are daily, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets purchased via Ticketmaster are subject to service charges.
About MSG Entertainment
MSG Entertainment (MSGE), the live entertainment arm of The Madison Square Garden Company (Nasdaq: MSG ), is a worldwide entertainment company recognized for its signature combination of event production and entertainment marketing. In addition to the nearly 900 entertainment concerts and events that take place each year at Radio City Music Hall, Madison Square Garden, The Theater at Madison Square Garden, the Beacon Theatre, The Chicago Theatre, and the Forum in Inglewood, California, MSGE has an exclusive co-booking agreement with Boston's Citi Performing Arts Center/ Wang Theatre. MSG Entertainment's live events include the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which has played to more than 75 million people in 77 different cities across North America. More than five million people attend MSG Entertainment branded events annually including concerts, special events, and family attractions.
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The New York Spring Spectacular logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=29009
CONTACT: MSGE Press Contacts Mikyl Cordova mikyl.cordova@msg.com / (212) 631-4337 Anna McKean anna.mckean@msg.com / (212) 631-4329 Weinstein Company Brad Thompson brad.thompson@weinsteinco.com / (212) 590-7890
