Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to march against the plague

“I was so excited to see all of my old friends I hadn’t seen in months, some of them flew in especially for the show to do this,” he said. “It’s weird, but it’s still good to do.”

The epidemic of closing theaters in March may have elevated most of the tradition this holiday season, but the annual New York City parade will be accompanied by balloons, dancers, floats, Broadway shows and Santa – albeit greatly modified for safety.

“Traditions like this are comforting, they are advanced,” said Susan Tercero, executive producer of the parade. “New York has always been a tough city. It’s jumping back. It’s taking its steps and then continuing. I think it’s very important for us to show this holiday season. Regardless of what happened, New York should be the light of day in the dark. I think. “

Macy’s Parade has been a traditional holiday football for over 90 years, and spectators often line up at 8,000 parades, two dozen floats, half a dozen depths along the track to cheer on the entertainment and parade bands. At last year’s parade, the big fear was high winds. At the moment, it is an epidemic that has made the crowd unacceptable.

The biggest change of the year was the removal of the regular 2 1/2-mile lane through congested Manhattan in favor of stacking events for a block length of 34th Street in front of the retailer’s main Manhattan store. Many performances have been booked in advance, and most of the artists in the parade will be local to minimize travel.

Broadway casts of “Hamilton,” “Average Girls” and “Jack Little Bill” at the parade revolved around the music of Alanis Morissette. Broadway shows were recorded a few days before the parade.

Things felt very different for actor Derek Glena, who was at the 2017 parade as part of the “Anastasia” cast. This year, he was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in the film “Jack Little Bill” and assisted on the show “You Learn” from the show nominated by Tony.

The cast was isolated for two weeks before being tapped and tested regularly for the virus. The cast members rehearsed in masks until the cameras began to roll and they were socially distant. They sang live this time instead of many years when the lips were in sync.

“Even though the circumstances were very different, it was still magical and fulfilling to share that experience with your fellow actors after being away for so long,” Klena said.

“I think it’s important for everyone to find a way to celebrate this event even more, and to celebrate the events and the companies that share this wonderful event with everyone.”

Both Jackson and Glena said they follow the show’s strict safety protocols – enforcing the 6-foot rule, requiring frequent testing and masks and masks, as well as new masks after their performance. “I appreciate it because it’s built to keep you safe,” Jackson said. “Dancing in a mask is a tough feat.”

This year’s lineup of balloons includes Snoopy, “A Wimpy Baby Diary,” “Elf on the Shelf,” Chase, “Pow Patrol,” Picasso, Pillsbury Duck Boy, Ronald McDonald, Sponge Square Bands and “Trolls. This time the new ones are “The Boss Baby” and “Ryan World” in Red Titan.

The giant cartoon-character balloons will be flown without the traditional 80 to 100 tug-of-war manipulations assigned to each inflator, which will instead be attached to special vehicles.

Performed by Pentadonics, Ally Brooke, KK Palmer, Sofia Carson, Leslie Odum Jr. and Jordin Sparks, and there will be floats from “Blues Clues,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and Lego. Performance and rockets of New York City ballet dancer “The Nutcracker”, “The Big Apple Circus” all female samba drumline and acrobats will be in practice. The parade ends with the appearance of Santa Claus.

Another change this year is the decision to look at many of the New York City parades that have been canceled in the spring and fall due to the epidemic – the St. Patrick’s Day parade, the fairy parade, the Puerto Rican Day parade and the NYC Bright March.

“We’re going to highlight them and we’re going to give them a chance to shine,” Tersero said. “You can see the creativity in this hobby, which has been dormant for the past seven months.”

For Broadway artists, there is a silver lining to this year’s changes. Usually on Thanksgiving, they freeze in the middle of nowhere, get up at dawn and dance for hours. This year, they are taking care of themselves from the warmth of their apartment, which has already been done better.

“This is the first thank you in a few years, I didn’t have a show there or I just hit something,” Glena said. “So it’s kind of fun to celebrate with some of my friends in town and my wife.”

___

There is Mark Kennedy http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits