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Publicity hound Alec Baldwin injected himself back into animal activists’ battle against Radio City Music Hall’s iconic Christmas Spectacular — blasting the venue’s use of live animals for Nativity scenes in a new TV spot.
The “30 Rock” star’s latest shot against the decades-old practice came in a PETA-backed ad set to air on Canada’s CTV starting Thursday. said the stage production is “highly stressful” to the show’s sheep, camels and donkeys.
“Animals are not actors or props,” Baldwin, 67, says in a 30-second spot, railing that the stage production is “highly stressful” to the show’s sheep, camels and donkeys.
Radio City is subjecting the animals “to transport, confinement in a basement for months and the stressful lights and sounds of a stage production,” Baldwin adds.
PETA protesters demonstrated outside an opening matinee performance of the beloved holiday show Thursday, featuring a pair of hired performers dressed as sad Rockette “toy soldiers” toting signs to “celebrate Rockettes’ 100 Years by Kicking Out Animal Cruelty.”
A spokesperson for MSG Entertainment, which owns Radio City Music Hall, argued Baldwin and PETA are using outdated information. The animals come from an animal sanctuary upstate and are regularly checked by the city’s Department of Health and state agriculture inspectors, according to the owners.
“Mr. Baldwin is incorrect in his assumptions,” the rep said but declined to share the name of the upstate animal sanctuary with The Post.
“The safety of the animals in the Christmas Spectacular’s beloved ‘Living Nativity’ scene is always our priority, and they are provided with exceptional round-the-clock care throughout the show’s limited run.”
But activists said after a 91-year run at the historic venue it’s time to take the animals off stage permanently.
“Animals at Radio City Music Hall are essentially kept in basements and back rooms,” PETA campaigner Mason Melito told The Post, adding the group will continue to protest “as long as they’re using animals in their show.”
The campaign kicks off a new PETA effort demanding sponsors Chase, Lexus, and Verizon not to support the “exploitative” show until it ends the use of live animals.
More than 30,610 supporters have already signed a petition to ban live animal use from the show on PETA’s website.
Similar groups have championed efforts to curb the use of live animals in large-scale New York City events, from St. John the Divine’s annual Blessing of the Animals to a “dogfighting” exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum.
“In 2017, New Yorkers and the City Council took a stand against cruelty by banning wild animals in circuses, and that same compassion should extend to the camels, sheep and donkeys used in this production,” NYCLASS executive director Edita Birnkrant told The Post.
“These animals are confined, trucked around and forced to perform under blinding lights and loud music — all completely unnecessary in a modern show,” she said.
“The true spirit of Christmas is about peace and compassion, and exploiting animals for entertainment goes against that.”
English (US)