He is known for taking risky roles: a serial killer in the rock opera The News; a revolutionary political prisoner in Kander and Ebb's Kiss of the Spider Woman; a narcissistic sea captain in Michael John LaChiusa's Marie Christine. But in the new Las Vegas production of Broadway's longest-running musical, Tony-winner Anthony Crivello is donning the mask and cape of that most iconic of titular roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom--The Las Vegas Spectacular, and taking on the challenge of recreating a legendary role.
It's only the latest step in an impressive career that has ranged, in the actor's own words, "from revolutionary to romantic, from serial killers to composer killers with genius." After earning a Tony Award in 1993 for Kiss of the Spider Woman, rather than resting on his laurels, Mr. Crivello turned to more avant-garde shows and smaller productions, earning "a reputation for edgy work." In the year-and-a-half before he accepted the role of the Phantom, he appeared in eight workshops of new musicals that are hoping for New York life. When Phantom came calling, however, the challenge of recreating a famous character in a new interpretation of a modern classic was too good to pass up.
"It's such a rich, wonderful character," he says of his latest role. "There's so much depth for an actor to play with." Twenty years after the show's premiere in the West End, the original creators have reunited to give it new life in Las Vegas. Harold Prince himself has returned to overview this simultaneously abridged and expanded vision of his most popular success at The Venetian Resort, where a new stage was built to accommodate the show. Both Mr. Prince and Lord Webber wanted to make sure that "the integrity of the piece, the emotional throughline and horror [were] completely maintained" in the 90-minute version of the musical, and Mr. Crivello describes their involvement as very "hands-on." The performance space itself, designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, "rivals any great opera house in the United States. It's not too bold to say that this production has the magnitude of something you would see on the Metropolitan Opera stage," Mr. Crivello says. "With the budget they were able to work with here in Las Vegas, it's like a brand-new production."
As an example, he describes the differences between the opening moments on Broadway and in Las Vegas. On Broadway, as the overture begins, the six-foot-high chandelier rises from the stage, soaring over the audience to the ceiling above. "In the production here," he says with great excitement, "the chandelier assembles from four different positions... When that famous organ overture begins to play, dust covers are pulled off of the chandelier, and [the pieces] begin to creak and rise into position, circling overhead overtop the audience, and then align themselves and rise to the ceiling. When they rise to the ceiling, the chandelier is approximately two stories tall." The new set, he continues, is being overseen by Paul Kelly, who was original scenic designer Maria Björnson's assistant for years. "Paul has taken the palate with which he was working and continues to paint and take the production and run with the design," Mr. Crivello says.
Another challenge inherent to this production is the very location. Producers have tried to turn Las Vegas into the so-called Broadway of the West with sit-down productions of both Avenue Q and Hairspray. Neither fared particularly well in Sin City. "The thing about Avenue Q and Hairspray is that they were and are tremendous Broadway hits," Mr. Crivello says. "But Phantom of the Opera is an international hit." Broadway-style theatre is just beginning to take hold in Vegas, he continues, and producers need sure-fire hits like Phantom to make it a viable place for future shows. "No producers are going to get into the business without some sort of guarantee that they're going to make some of their money back, if not all of it, and realize a profit. The track record of Phantom of the Opera, obviously the longest running show on Broadway right now, is incomparable." But beyond the financial certainties of shows like Phantom, there is an artistic appeal of being part of a nascent theatre community, and shaping its future. "The theatre scene here is evolving," Mr. Crivello says, "and you're able to do things here [without] the certain restraints that you have in New York. You're able to realize your work in a different way... Those people who are naysaying Las Vegas don't understand what's happening here right now."
