The Radio City Stage Door Tour

My wife and I went on this tour this March (2016) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The RCMH is an elegant, classic Art Deco gem and is rightly designated as a Landmark Interior. It’s hard to believe it was slated to be demolished in the late 1970s. The interiors are full of breathtaking beauty if you appreciate art in architecture; not everyone will. The murals, the carpets, the wall and ceiling finishes, and even the elevators are marvelous. The Grand Foyer is surreal in its color and grandeur. The mens and ladies lounges are not to be missed, either.
This was not a «behind the scenes» tour per se, nor is it billed as one. The amazing stage platform elevator system was the basis of US Navy aircraft carrier platform lifts during WWII and are an engineering marvel (and are formally recognized as such, although I can’t recall the verbiage). The Music Hall’s elevator works were kept off limits from public scrutiny until after the war to keep the potential enemy spies from studying them and capitalizing on the technology. We were able to go into the Roxy Room, too.
The least impressive part of the tour for me was meeting a Rockette, but that’s me. I admire performers for their talent, if they have it, but I have zero interest in their celebrity. We had a small tour group and no one asked the poor woman any questions except for me, in an attempt to keep it from being totally awkward (it still was).
The overall tour lasted about 75 minutes and our guide was very knowledgeable and easy to engage. This is probably NOT a tour for kids unless they are post-​14 and irretrievably smitten by the stage; otherwise, I can’t see it holding their interest — no way, no how. We were VERY fortunate in that the grandparents kept our 6– and 10-​year old daughters, allowing us a whole 5 days of freedom in the city.
For sheer grandeur, elegance and class, it’s hard to beat RCMH. One of the great things about the tour (vs. attending an event) is that the building is not full of people so you really are able to see and appreciate the public spaces. Don’t get me wrong; we hope to go back to NYC this winter to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular… so if you’ve read to the end of this review, thanks in advance for taking a moment to send us your best finger-​crossing telepathic positive karma towards us getting there!

Very nice tour; the guide Payton was professional and knowledgable. We enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to tourists.

FABULOUS tour! Our guide — a young woman originally from St. Louis whose name I’m sorry that I can’t recall — was EXCELLENT! She had charisma, knowledge, and an engaging style. Wow! The tour was so interesting and a wonderful choice before we took in the Rockettes’ show. Highly recommend the tour!

Tour was during the entrance of people coming to see the show, so it was extremely noisy. Our group was too large, 23 people. A lady was becoming sweaty and stated she had recently had a heart attack and they «wouldn’t let her leave the group without an escort». Well we were a bunch of nurses and my friend just went ahead and took her to the elevator and took her downstairs. Meanwhile the tour guide was flipping out because they were «unescorted.» Then they were not going to let my friend back into our group and said she had left voluntarily. The tour was not a true back stage tour, in fact there was NO backstage at all. We went through «escorted» hallways and viewed pictures of famous people, which the tour guide took the time to read each one to us. Seriously? It was only $ 13 per person but definitely was not worth the time involved. Very disappointing. The glamour of the show would have been enough. I paid for my group and would never recommend this tour again to anyone. There were many others in our group «eye rolling» too. IDK, maybe it was our tour guide, but definitely a dud.

Really an amazing building. The tour hits the huge main lobby, the lounge below the theatre, the theatre itself and a private suite. The tour ends with a chance to meet a Rockette. The stories about the Rockefellers and others relevant characters are cool, but the building itself is the real knockout.
The theatre is stunning. The room is a sunrise. The stage glows, the ceiling radiates from it, and shades of amber and red progress through the room. The tour goes to the top tier and even from the back row, the stage is completely audible.
The rest of the building is also great, although the theatre is the main attraction in my opinion.
I don’t think this is good for kids. I know I wouldn’t have been interested in looking at rooms, and especially not how they are decorated. I don’t think it can hold their interest.
Otherwise, I definitely recommend it.

Went on a Monday afternoon, which meant smaller group. Nice greeters to start, tour guide was young but well seasoned and professional. Tour is 75 min, and wow what an amazing venue this place is. There are some staircases to walk up and down during the tour, and a short film to watch. Take lots of pics, but watch glare from low lighting. Highlight was meeting a Rockette who was gorgeous and personable. All get a picture with her which you get to review at end with option to buy at 20 bucks. I did because she was worth it! All in all a nice, if a bit dry, tour. Definitely give it a go.

What a fantastic way to cap off a trip to see the famed radio city rockettes. I loved learning about the history of the Rockettes and radio city music hall. Our tour guide was full of information on the history and renovation of the theater and you get to see so many places that is beyond the general public. The rockefellers private box, the projection room where they used to project movies, the original seats in the small theater where you watch a movie on the history, and the costumes! Oh my the costumes! They truly are all works of art. We were even able to peak into one of the dance studios and see the rockettes experience class taking place!
Make sure you stick with your tour group as this place is a labyrinth. I imagine I could be lost for days in the maze of hallways and stairs!

There’s not all that much to the tour, but the tour guide did a lot with what she had, and it’s not like an expensive thing to do. It was neat to see the production crew prepping for an episode of America’s Got Talent — they do cool things with the lighting, and we got to hear a little bit of singing. The venue really is a beauty. On the downside, because they were prepping the set, the tour customers weren’t allowed to actually walk into the theater; we only got to see it through a window.
I thought the video of the history of Radio City and its semi-​recent renovations was a good touch, although it seemed oddly placed toward the end of the tour (would make more sense to see it at the very beginning). The most impressive part of the Rockette who was there at the end was how she could really hold a smile for a long time. I can’t imagine being able to do that. Makes my face hurt to think about it. She wouldn’t do a kick for us because she «hadn’t stretched,» which seems like a cop out. She’s getting paid to make an appearance. Why couldn’t she stretch beforehand so she could demonstrate one kick?
I would recommend this tour to locals or to tourists who have visited the city several times already. It’s cool but needn’t be at the top of anyone’s NYC Trip to-​do list.

We decided to take the Stage Door Tour because it came with our New York Pass. We were glad we did! It was neat to see the stage set up for the Tony Awards. There was a lot going on behind the scenes & we even got to see the elevator on the stage in motion from underneath. There were a lot of design details that our tour guide explained. There’s a lot of history in that building & I’m glad we got to see it in person. Bring your camera because photos are allowed, except when you meet the Rockette. That’s at the end of the tour when they try to sell the pic to you. Lol!

Great tour. Staff are friendly and answer any questions you have. The décor is beautiful. We went while they were rehearsing for the Tony Awards so we couldn’t go on stage but they still let us look at it from a viewing window which was beautiful and let us get a sneak peak! Skip the gift shop as there is not much there. We did meet a Rockette and got the typical tourist picture package, but got 20% off by using our Chase card which made it more reasonable. This tour was worth every penny!

We opted for the «Stage Door Tour» on a recent visit to New York, since we’d spent our «going to a show» budget elsewhere. About half the tour is in regular, front-​of-​the-​house public spaces, but at least they’re empty so one can get some nice pictures. Unfortunately during our tour, technical rehearsals were happening on the stage itself, so we couldn’t take pictures in the main hall.
The «meet a Rockette» section was perhaps lost on just about everyone in our group for one reason or another, so they didn’t make much revenue off the photo op. (I was surprised to see they’d pre-​made merchandise packages for each party in hopes it would entice purchasing. I think everyone passed.)
For a first-​time visitor, it’s a good way to see the hall (again, without having to buy tickets to a show). I’m not sure there’s much to offer someone who’s already been to a performance, though.

Pros: N/​A
Cons: Use your $ on the shows, not the tour. Tour guides weren’t very informative. The Rockette had a snooty air about her.

Taking the advice of my fellow Unilocalers, I purchased this tour & loved it! Loved the history of this grand theater – seeing the costumes was amazing, the art deco architecture needs to be seen to be appreciated. Our tour guide was excellent, very knowledgeable. (I wish I could remember her name!)…we got to meet a Rockette at the end of the tour and took the obligatory photo –which I loved & purchased! The tour was right on time and lasted exactly an hour. My husband was disappointed that we were not allowed to step on stage – if they ever add that to the tour it would be awesome! I purchased our tickets about a week before our visit & would recommend pre-​purchasing as they sell out quickly, tours are limited to about 12 people per tour. I don’t know if I’d visit again as it would be difficult to recreate the ‘magic’ of seeing it for the first time but would highly recommend this-​NOTE: There are a lot of stairs to climb – I think they have elevators? It would have been a bit diffult if my parents had come on the tour as they are elderly and would had a problem with the stairs.

I’m a sucker for art deco! 2^nd time on the Stage Door Tour was even better than the first. Very informative and lots of beautiful things to snap pictures of. Being there really does make you feel like a movie star. If you can only do one tour in NYC, make it this one.

Not-​so-​good:
Nothing (maybe other tour guides won’t be as good :-))
Good:
So many things we got to learn/​see in an hour
Get to see/​meet a Rockette!
The awesome tour of the elevator hydraulics
The tour guide was incredible; spunky, knew everything, good talking pace/​voice…
Overall, this is a must-​see. I was skeptical going in, but the venue itself is unbelievably designed… every corner is a beautiful mix of 1930s design with 21^st century technology. Definitely worth the one hour tour. [Don’t know the cost… sister bought the tickets!]

This was a fantastic tour lead by an engaging tour guide who had lots of facts you just wouldn’t know about if you visited Radio City for an event. Plus we learned about how the Rockettes got started. I’d definitely do it again.
What we saw:
— the décor from floor to ceiling w/​anecdotes from the tour guide
— the balcony view of the stage, organs and platforms for performing on the perimeter
— the special three-​piece stage from backstage and a video showing it in action
— lower level bathrooms (powder room, lounge and foot operated hand dryers)
— glimpse of the practice rooms where young girls were being instructed by a few Rockettes
— costumes
— a real Rockette who took pictures w/​us and answered questions
— private quarters backstage.
The stage is really big and if you’ve never been to Radio City before, it’s really cool! Buy your tickets at the gift shop, just left of the Radio City doors if your facing the main entrance.

Loved seeing and hearing the history behind Radio City Music – like the ceilings made of gold bricks!!! – Our guide James was very informative and seemed to genuinely enjoy his job. I would have liked to been able to go down and see the theater from the seating area but there was a private party that evening and our tour was a bit restricted. The Rockette that talked to us was friendly and informative and was very nice while she took pictures and answered questions. They also give you 15% off your purchase in the gift shop after the tour which none of the other tours I did offered.

I found this tour to be extremely informative. Erik, our guide, kept it amusing while presenting all the facts. Tara, the Rockette who met us, was just a delight. It was the end of the day and I am sure they were both very tired, but they acted like we were the first tour of the day.
Explanations were clear and I guess I never gave a thought as to how such a huge stage gets lifted and lowered.
There are a LOT of stairs to climb and PLEASE be respectful of rules i.e. don’t wander off, you will only hold up the rest of the group, keep quiet so that those who do want to hear the information, CAN. We had a number in our group who came close to ruining our tour.
KEEP YOUR YOUNG CHILDREN AWAY. No one but you thinks their CONSTANT chatter is cute and your yelling after them as they run down restricted halls is also rather distracting.
I realize great numbers of people have to get moved through in one day, but a few minutes to enjoy all the memorabilia would have been great. The photos looked most interesting as we zipped past!

We’d walked by Radio City Music Hall so many times and not once did we manage to set foot inside.
We decided to change that and play tourist; we signed up for the Radio City Stage Door Tour… while the tour was at times very hokey (meeting a Rockette and taking pictures with said Rockette) overall is was a wonderful tour and a great learning experience. We really enjoyed learning more about the inner workings of Radio City and more about the history of the building, the people, and the shows held inside. Don’t miss this tour in you’re at all interested in Radio City Music Hall.

I bought the «Rock Pass» which includes the NBC Studio Tour, Radio City Stage Door Tour (review available) and a visit to Top of the Rock observation deck (review available). The best part is that the tickets are valid up to a year if you don’t use them on the day of purchase. Nice! The price for all three was $ 46.00 which is $ 15.30 per ticket… a bargain!
The tour runs every 30 minutes and lasts up to 1 hour. A word of advice, there is a lot of stairs climbing. So be aware of any physical impairments. If you do have one, let the personnel know when redeeming the ticket.
Start with a great view of the lobby area and a brief history of the hall. Then get a good workout while climbing up and down stairs and you get to see many parts of the hall, including a movie of the history of the hall and a ‘meet and greet’ with one of the Rockettes which you get to ask questions and take pictures with.
The best part of the tour was when we were able to see a few minutes of the Christmas Spectacular Show through a viewing booth on the top floor. It was really nice… never had the desire to see the show but now that I’ve seen some of it, I will make a trek to the city to see one for sure! (A word of advice: plenty of tickets for it available at TKTS discount booth — review available).
A tour worth doing for some backstage history of the Hall. Pictures allowed to be taken at anytime. Tour last an hour and no bathroom breaks during the tour.