Theater News

Lady Liberty Comes to Life as a 26-Foot Puppet in Radio City's New York Spring Spectacular

Whoopi Goldberg voices the creature in the production, which is directed by Warren Carlyle.

New York City
The Statue of Liberty puppet for Radio City Music Hall's New York Spring Spectacular, built in Australia by The Creature Technology Company.
The Statue of Liberty puppet for Radio City Music Hall's New York Spring Spectacular, built in Australia by The Creature Technology Company.
(© David Gordon)

Radio City Music Hall offered a preview of the 26-foot-tall Statue of Liberty puppet that will become the centerpiece of its New York Spring Spectacular, a new production running March 12-May 3 under the direction of Tony Award winner Warren Carlyle (After Midnight).

The high-tech puppet was built in Australia by The Creature Technology Company, the same organization that also produced the dinosaurs for the Walking With Dinosaurs stage show series and the King Kong puppet for the musical King Kong. It took six weeks for the Statue of Liberty puppet to be transported by New York City, by ship.

The Statue of Liberty puppet is 26-feet tall and features 20 motors in her face alone.
The Statue of Liberty puppet is 26-feet tall and features 20 motors in her face alone.
(© David Gordon)

In the production, the Statue of Liberty puppet will be voiced by Whoopi Goldberg. 1,760 pounds of steel and 753 square feet of draped fabric were used to construct the puppet. It is controlled both automatically by pre-programmed cues and manually by four puppeteers who can move the torso, arms, mouth, and face.

The Statue of Liberty is controlled automatically using pre-programmed cues, as well as by four puppeteers who can move her torso, arms, mouth, and face.
The Statue of Liberty is controlled automatically using pre-programmed cues, as well as by four puppeteers who can move her torso, arms, mouth, and face.
(© David Gordon)

Tony Award winner Laura Benanti (Gypsy, Nashville) leads the cast Jenna, alongside Lenny Wolpe (Bullets Over Broadway) as Bernie, Derek Hough (Dancing With the Stars) as Jack, and Jared Grimes (After Midnight) as Marshall. Along with Goldberg, voices will include Bella Thorne as the Alice in Wonderland statue, and celebrity cameos by Carmelo Anthony, Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, and Henrik Lundqvist, among others. The production is overseen by co-creative directors Diane Paulus (Finding Neverland) and Randy Weiner.

Whoopi Goldberg will voice the Statue of Liberty in New York Spring Spectacular.
Whoopi Goldberg will voice the Statue of Liberty in New York Spring Spectacular.
(© David Gordon)

For tickets and more information, click here.

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