Danica Ceballos/ The Mirror
On Monday night, 47 Fairfield students participated in a Christmas tradition that has been infamous in the New York City area since 1933: the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
The Charter Bus left Alumni Hall at 4 p.m. and arrived at Radio City Music Hall just before 6 p.m., giving students time for dinner before the show. Promptly after the performance, the bus picked up students and brought them back to campus.
“I always heard of the Rockettes, but this was my first time ever seeing them, and I had no idea what to expect. I loved the performance,” said Caroline Surprenant ’15. “Going to this show really made me feel like I was a kid again and put me in the Christmas spirit.”
The event was organized by FUSA’s Directors of Cultural Events Nicole Rende ’15, Megan Lewis ’15, Alexandra Dell’Anno ’16 and Sanya Porbandarwaia ’17. Fifty-four tickets were offered with four reserved for the FUSA directors. Despite the popularity of the show, it did not sell out on campus; however, the FUSA directors were pleased that they sold 86 percent of the tickets.
Dell’Anno said, “I thought last night went really well. … There was a ton of traffic last year, and we didn’t hit that much. I wish we just had a little more time so we could have maybe walked around the city or seen the tree.”
The four directors began planning the event in October and received confirmation in November. The day of the event, they arrived at Alumni Hall 30 minutes before to wait for students to fill the bus. The directors continued to ask attendees if they were waiting for anyone else.
Rather than simply asking who was missing, Dell’Anno and Porbandarwaia admitted that this is something they want to improve upon next semester when they organize the next three trips to New York City.
Dell’Anno explained, “Maybe for next semester we would consider taking attendance, just because you don’t ever want to leave anyone in the city.”
Unlike this year, both directors will consider having the names and phone numbers of students who purchased tickets. They also plan on giving attendees their phone numbers in case of emergency.
Despite this one setback, the event ran smoothly, and student reactions were mostly positive. “It was the first time I had ever seen the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and it definitely didn’t disappoint,” said Kristina Graham ’15. “It was such a good show.”
Each semester, FUSA offers three shows for Fairfield students. Dell’Anno and Porbandarwaia explained that they just confirmed the third trip for next semester.
Instead of attending three Broadway shows next semester, the directors have decided to see two more popular and expensive shows. The third New York City trip will be to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum.
The two Broadway shows that will be offered are “Wicked” on Jan. 30 and “Aladdin” on April 10. While these tickets normally sell for $77 and $70, respectively, Fairfield will be selling them for $55 and $40, including travel.
The directors explained that purchasing these tickets is advantageous for students because FUSA pays for a large percentage of the trip, providing students with discounted tickets. “We’re taking a huge cut for both of them,” said Porbandarwaia.
After the success of Monday night’s trip, both Dell’Anno and Porbandarwaia are looking forward to organizing the three events next semester. Dell’Anno said, “We hope these are shows people want to see.”
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