Tina Fey reunited the “30 Rock” cast and many of its guest stars on Sunday night at Radio City Music Hall, exactly 20 years after the show’s debut. About 6,000 fans watched a 100-minute show of sketches, a game show and surprise guests. There was no stream and no recording.
The cast of 30 Rock got back together at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Sunday, October 11, on the 20th anniversary of the show’s debut, The Hollywood Reporter reported. The sitcom went off the air more than 13 years ago.
How It Happened
Tina Fey was not planning to mark the anniversary until Jack McBrayer suggested a reunion over lunch last year. “I think he meant, like, a cast dinner,” she said. Instead, about 6,000 fans filled the hall for a roughly 100-minute show. Proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
No Cameras
The reunion was not streamed or recorded. Fey asked the audience not to film because “we’re not shooting it either”. The Hollywood Reporter’s writer said a Live Nation representative told them the event was “not for coverage for review”, so they attended with a ticket from a resale site.
What Was on the Bill
- Sketches built around the show’s fictional songs and shows, including Jenna’s medley
- A game show hosted by McBrayer in which Fey and Tracy Morgan had to finish lines from clips
- A “Liz Lemon’s Boyfriends” sketch hosted by Scott Adsit, with Jon Hamm back as Dr. Drew Baird
- A sketch with Maulik Pancholy as Jonathan and Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy, running through the major news events of each year
- A closing duet of “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah” by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Morgan
Guests
Conan O’Brien opened the night. Tom Hanks presented a fan-voted award for best guest star, which went to the late Elaine Stritch. Brian Williams and John McEnroe also appeared, and Chris Parnell gave an in-character monologue.
The show also included a tribute to late members of the crew and to Grizz Chapman, the actor who played Grizz, who died earlier this year of kidney disease.
One Absence
Lonny Ross, who played Josh in the first three seasons, told fans in the hallway that he had not been invited or given a ticket, and that he paid $2,000 to get in, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The report did not include a response from the organisers.
‘We Predicted Everything’
The evening played on the show’s reputation for predicting the future. “So much of what we wrote actually came true,” an unnamed writer said from the stage.
Image: Radio City Music Hall in New York (file photo). Photo: Suicasmo / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
