A nation-wide search has delivered a cast handpicked by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and
Hal Prince and rich in Broadway experience for Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular, which begins preview performances in June at The Venetian Resort • Hotel • Casino in Las Vegas.
Tickets go on sale April 9, 2006, for the world's most recognized musical theater masterpiece, which will be uniquely presented in a new, $40 million theater at The Venetian.
The 95-minute production, which will include every song from the original, reunites Lloyd Webber, Prince and others from the original creative team.
The roles of The Phantom, Christine and Carlotta will be double-cast due to the challenging vocal score and performance schedule of Phantom. Donning the infamous mask for the role of "The Phantom" are veteran stage and opera performer Brent Barrett, seen in the smash Broadway musicals Chicago and Annie Get Your Gun and Tony Award-winner Anthony Crivello, known for his roles on Broadway in Kiss of the Spider Woman and Les Misérables.
Cast as the delicate ingénue "Christine" are Sierra Boggess, who was recently seen regionally in Les Misérables and West Side Story and Elizabeth Loyacano whose Broadway credits include Oklahoma! and The Woman in White.
Musical Diva "Carlotta" will be played by Elena Jeanne Batman, who comes direct from the same role on Broadway, and Geena Jeffries, seen in the same role in the San Francisco company of Phantom.
Also joining Phantom at The Venetian directly from the Broadway cast is Tim Martin Gleason playing the role of "Raoul" as well as Larry Wayne Morbitt, who brings 11 years of Phantom experience to The Venetian stage as Opera Great "Piangi."
"This is a rare chance to go back and re-visit a work of art some 20 years after it was created," said Prince, the show's original director and winner of 20 Tony Awards. "To be able to incorporate today's special effects and technical capabilities into the timeless music and story of Phantom are a great thrill."
"We are excited to be well on our way to staging this truly unique production," said David Ian, Global Chairman, Theatre for Live Nation. "This production will exceed everyone's expectations and is a perfect fit with our continued desire to produce world class content in one of the greatest markets in the world."
The state-of-the-art theatre is designed by David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group, and will harmonize with the show's original set design and serve to transport theatergoers to the famed Paris Opera House.
"The extraordinary talent we have assembled truly complements the once-in-a-lifetime setting," said Scott Zeiger, Executive Producer, BASE Entertainment. "The Venetian Resort, the spectacular physical production and this amazing cast combine to create a show that will be unrivaled on the Strip, or anywhere else for that matter."
Phantom at The Venetian is produced by The Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc., Live Nation and BASE Entertainment.
Tickets for Phantom at The Venetian go on sale to the public April 9, and will be available by calling the Venetian Box Office at 866-641-7469 or 702-414-7469, or online at www.Venetian.com. Group tickets are available for groups of 15 or more by calling 866-633-0195. For more information please visit the official website: www.phantomlasvegas.com.
The most successful theatrical endeavor of all time, The Phantom of the Opera has grossed more than $3 billion worldwide since its London premiere in 1986, having played more than 65,000 performances in 20 countries and 110 cities. After the opening, the musical went on to sweep the 1988 Tony Awards, winning seven Tonys, including Best Musical as well as seven Drama Desk Awards and three Outer Critics Circle Awards. In January 2006, it became the longest–running show in Broadway history, surpassing another of Webber's greatest hits, Cats.
The Phantom of the Opera features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Charles Hart, additional lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber and orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber. It was originally produced by Cameron Mackintosh and The Really Useful Theatre Company, Inc.
