Mechanics Hall makes cameo in 'Spirited' movie trailer
WORCESTER — Christmas came a little early this week for Mechanics Hall.
Popping up at the 50-second mark of the “Spirited” movie trailer that dropped earlier this week, the Great Hall of Mechanics Hall is seen decorated to look like a decadent Rockettes-inspired “Christmas Spectacular” stage show.
Freezing the frame, one can spot Ryan Reynolds sitting in a throne shaped like a gold Christmas star in the center of the floor.
IMDB: "Spirited"
A big band complete with a pianist playing a white baby grand can be seen on the Mechanics Hall stage.
In front of Reynolds are 10 round tables adorned with festive green clothes and lined up in the pattern of a triangle.
Holiday revelers dressed like sugarplum fairies can be seen gyrating on top of the tables, while Christmas trimming hangs from the Mechanics Hall balconies and Christmas trees and extras dressed in holiday attire can be seen in the wings.
The Mechanics Hall scene alone has at least 80 extras.
Reynolds a Worcester regular
At the 53-second mark, a sinister-looking Reynolds, in a white tux and tails with a red carnation pinned to the lapel, barrels through the festive crowd at Mechanics Hall, flinging tables off to the side with the power of his mighty wrath.
“Spirited” is the second film with scenes shot in Worcester featuring Reynolds. The first, “Free Guy,” had three key scenes that took place in Brew on the Grid at Portland and Franklin streets, near Worcester Common.
“Spirited” is the latest reimagination of Charles Dickens' classic “A Christmas Carol.”
And what a better place to do a modern-day take on Dickens than Mechanics Hall, which has a strong history with the celebrated 18th-century novelist.
On March 23, 1868, Dickens gave a reading of "A Christmas Carol" at Mechanics Hall, then only 11 years old. In addition, Gerald Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, has performed his one-man show of “A Christmas Carol” at Mechanics Hall in recent years.
"I think it's fantastic," Kathleen M. Gagne, the executive director of Mechanics Hall, said. "The continuing story of Charles Dickens' 'Scrooge' just repeats itself in our hall and I love that."
In addition to Reynolds, “Spirited” stars SNL funnyman Will Ferrell, who already has one modern-day holiday classic under his belt, 2003's “Elf.”
The trailer starts with silhouettes of the movie’s two stars in a tap-dancing number and ends with the two actors in an elevator riffing on silly pseudonyms for Tiny Tim.
"Spirited" was filmed for a week at Mechanics Hall in July 2021. Ferrell was a no-show for the Worcester shoot.
“Spirited” will debut in theaters on Nov.11 before streaming globally on Apple TV+ on Nov. 18.
Coincidently, “Spirited” will be released on the same day as “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the sequel to “Black Panther,” which also has scenes shot in Worcester.
That’s not all. The Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” which had scenes shot at Worcester Municipal Airport, premieres Dec. 21.
In September, "Confess, Fletch" - which had scenes shot at the Telegram & Gazette office in the Mercantile Center at 100 Front St., the Worcester Police headquarters at Lincoln Square and Cicero's Café on Suffolk Street - was released.
Also last month, the latest Spider-Man spinoff "Madame Web" was filmed in Worcester.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Mechanics Hall in Worcester seen in Ryan Reynolds' 'Spirited' trailer
