O.K., PHANTOM 'Phans'... I have found your nirvana...and you can find it at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, where I attended the lavish opening of
PHANTOM: The Las Vegas Spectacular last night (Saturday, June 24th at 7pm).
From the moment you check in, you can hear the score of the longest running musical being piped through the hotel lobby. Then you are handed your room key which has PHANTOM splashed all over it. Enter the casino where the music continues to play and, on your way to the elevator, as you flash your PHANTOM key to security, you pass by the PHANTOM Gift Shop (to end all gift shops) where you can find something for everyone who loves The Phantom of the Opera.
The hotel itself is beautiful, with everything you could possibly need or want, including multiple pools, a Canyon Ranch Spa, a salon, restaurants galore, nightclubs, stores and multiple theatres. If you like to gamble, you can even find blackjack tables newly felted with the famous Phantom mask logo and, of course, gambling chips to match.
You will no doubt find yourself humming every song from The Phantom of the Opera involuntarily, as was everyone, and it would be humorous, were it not that you realize just how well-known this score is across the globe.
No expense has been spared on this production, which has been efficiently pared down to 95 minutes by its creators and masterful director, the legendary Harold Prince.
Entering the theatre at the Venetian for the gala opening night was an event in itself. Red capret, paparazzi and in attendance were many New Yorkers who made the trek, including the show's producers, representatives from the Shubert Organization and the Wasser Office (Alan Wasser, Robert Nolan, Steve Schnepp) and others. The Venetian production of the Cameron Mackintosh / The Really Useful Theatre Company Musical is also being presented by The Really Useful Theatre Company, Live Nation and Base Entertainment (Brian Becker and Scott Zeiger). Notable people in the audience included Carol Burnett, who collaborated with Mr. Prince on Hollywood Arms, Linda Lavin, who worked with Mr. Prince on It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman. Robert Goulet and his wife Vera, the show's choreographer Gillian Lynne, Lord Lloyd Webber, Peter Brown, Charles Hart, David Caddick, three time Tony-winner Hinton Battle, Las Vegas Hairspray's Corny Collins Kevin Spirtas, William Morris' Clint Mitchell, Marty Bell, Marty Erlichman, Richard Jay-Alexander, Las Vegas General Manager Michael Gill, Siegfried Fischbacher, Jerry Mitchell, David Zippel, Roy Horn, Sheldon G. Adelson and Miriam Adelson, Clint Holmes, David Ian, Randall Mays, Bernie Yuman, Rita Rudner and Bill Weidner, among others.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the evening was that, as the show is double cast (they do 10 performances a week) I kept wanting to know who would open. I couldn't find out and I thought that people were being coy, when in reality, how the decision was made actually appeared on the front page of our opening night's program. It read as follows:
Dear Patrons:
Because of the demands of the score, The Phantom of the Opera offers two Phantoms, two Christines and two Carlottas.
We did not want to choose between our equally talented leading players, so being in Las Vegas, we flipped a coin. And tonight you will be seeing Anthony Crivello as The Phantom, Elizabeth Loyacano as Christine and Elana Jeanne Batman as Carlotta. However - during the bows we want you to meet Brent Barrett (The Phantom), Sierra Boggess (Christine) and Geena Jeffries Mattox (Carlotta).
Enjoy the performance!
The Managers of the Opera Populaire
Top Photo: Anthony Crivello and Elizabeth Loyacano
Bottom Photo: Anthony Crivello and Sierra Boggess
The theatre, from the moment that you walk in, is astonishing! It has been named "
The Phantom Theatre" and is said to have cost in the vicinity of $40 million dollars to custom build and house the famous production. I don't want to give away the production's differences or surprises but can promise you multiple "jaw-dropping" moments. There's no need to go into describing
PHANTOM or critiquing it, as it would be difficult to believe there's anyone out there that doesn't have some knowledge of the show based on the Gaston Leroux novel - and we'll happily leave that task to those who do this kind of work for a living.
After last night and for every future performance of PHANTOM in Las Vegas, there will be 1,815 people seeing the show in an unbelievable setting, which recreates the 19th century Opera Garnier in Paris.
