Radio City Music Hall Renewed

(AP)  Celebrities by the dozen turned out Monday night to celebrate the reopening of Radio City Music Hall after a seven-month, $70 million restoration project aimed at returning the Manhattan landmark to its 1930s art deco splendor.

Performers - including Billy Crystal, Mary J. Blige, Sting, Ann-Margret, Lou "Mambo No. 5" Bega, Tony Bennett, 98 Degrees, Ann Miller, Raquel Welch and, of course, the Rockettes - were on hand to tape a television special to be aired on NBC in December. The taping was closed to the media.

Tony Bennett arrived with Susan Crow.

Mary J. Blige, a star on the hip-hop scene, hugged boxing promoter Don King as she walked down the red carpet into the concert hall.

"I've heard a lot about the place," Blige said. "I'm really excited to see the place ... I've got to stay focused, though."

The renovation was the first since the building opened Dec. 27, 1932.

All 5,901 seats were reupholstered. Wall covering was recreated by a textile mill following the design on a scrap of the original that was found buried behind faded wallpaper.

And a team of 20 art experts cleaned layers of smoke and grime from the 60-by-40 foot "Fountain of Youth" mural painted by Ezra Winter.

Former Rockette Anne Miller was among the celebrities.

As fans lined up across Sixth Avenue to catch a glimpse of their favorite stars going in, teen-age sensations 98 Degrees made their way into the historic hall.

"For us it's just great to be here...We're so honored to be here," said singer Drew Lachey.

King said he would like to see prize fighting in the restored music hall. "It's a landmark of New York City ... a town that's so nice they named it twice."

Actor Christian Slater said he has a personal history with Radio City.

"I performed here as a child," Slater said as he was rushed past the media and into the theater. "It's a place of history and it's a cornerstone of New York City. It's great it's restored."

The Great Stage.

John T. Harris, 90, worked as an usher at Radio City's 1932 opening. "I made $5 a week. I was happy to have a job. It was the depression," Harris said.

But is it really the same? Harris, who had a tour Monday afternoon said, "It's a good impression of what it used to be."

The performance was billed as a benefit for the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer, named in honor of Marc Lustgarten, former chairman of Madison Square Garden, who recently died of the disease.

By Melanie Carroll