Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular
November 26, 2008 by Vegas Baby
Filed under Featured, Ongoing Shows, Venetian
When the Venetian resort announced it was spending $40 million to design a custom-built theater for “Phantom of the Opera” and renaming the show “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular,” audiences knew they were going to be getting a little something extra in this version of the popular Broadway musical. Even though the Las Vegas production has been enhanced, fans of the original will not be disappointed. Creator Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Hal Prince, choreographer Gillian Lynne and others from the show’s original creative team helped develop “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” and pared the show from its original two and a half hours down to one hour 35 minutes. Some dialogue and the intermission have been cut from the original, but all of Webber’s well-known songs remain intact.
The things that distinguish the Las Vegas version of “Phantom” from its Broadway counterpart are elaborate new sets and special effects and the 1,800-seat theater, which is itself a spectacle.
Welcome to 19th century Paris
The Venetian employed renowned architect David Rockwell to design the Phantom Theatre, which took 11 months to build. Rockwell’s work includes the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood and Nobu restaurant in Las Vegas. The site, which is located in a space formerly occupied by the Guggenheim Museum, had to be completely excavated and the theater was built from the ground up.
Designed to closely resemble the Opera Garnier in Paris, the lavish Phantom Theatre features plush red seats and curtains, gold statues and carvings, a hand-painted ceiling topped with an 80-foot wide dome and opera boxes lining the sides. The opera boxes are inhabited by 70 colorful mannequins, which were built in Belgium. No two are alike and each one is completely outfitted in an authentic period costume.
The centerpiece of the theater (and major plot point of the show) is the chandelier, which weighs 2,100 pounds and cost $4.5 million to create. The shimmering chandelier is comprised of 29,444 individual crystals that were hand strung.
In this version of “Phantom,” the chandelier hangs in four pieces, which assemble in dramatic fashion during the beginning of the show. The spokes of the ceiling’s dome support 32 cables that guide the chandelier into place and it takes 40 individual computers, complete with navigational software, to run the chandelier. During the show’s climactic scene, the chandelier falls 45 feet in three seconds and stops only 10 feet above those seated beneath it – an effect that always causes a stir in the audience.
“The people sitting underneath feel the wind rush and some people scream … and I don’t blame them,” said Production Stage Manager Ray Gin. In addition to the customized theater, the Las Vegas production of Phantom differs from the original with new sets, state-of-the-art technology and special effects. This is a show where what goes on behind the scenes is almost as incredible as what happens onstage.
Enhancement and modernization of the illusions throughout the show were developed in part by Jim Steinmeyer, who has also worked with David Copperfield.
One of the new sets includes a beautiful opera house façade not seen in other productions of “Phantom.” Gin said the lights on the set run on car batteries that must be recharged each night. During the scene that features the façade, fireworks explode above the opera house – another effect seen only in Las Vegas. “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” employs two pyrotechnicians to oversee the fireworks and other fire illusions in the show.
Everything in the Phantom Theatre is state-of-the-art including the sound. Gin said the entire theater is filled with surround sound speakers — there is even sound coming up from the stage, immersing the performers in the music, which is provided by a live 19-piece orchestra.
The stage measures 60 by 50 feet – mammoth by Broadway standards. A special CO2 fog machine spreads dry ice 360 degrees around the stage to fill it quickly during the lake scenes.
Besides the 43 actors working onstage, there are 70 crew members behind the scenes making the magic happen and making sure everything runs smoothly including stunt people, wardrobe, makeup and wig assistants.
One crew member drives the Phantom’s boat with a joystick controller, maneuvering around a maze of candles on stage and another drives the huge staircase set seen in the “Masquerade” number.
A day crew is specifically assigned to do things like dust the mannequins, hand-paint shoes, check the intricate beading on all the costumes and repair even the most minor flaws.
“Our credo is that it’s got to look like it’s opening night,” said Gin.
The Music of the Night
“Phantom” recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in Las Vegas and Gin said the audience reception has been very positive. “I think these audiences are great. They go in expecting one thing and they’re astounded…They’re very appreciative. They’re loud.”
They’re loud because “Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” features an incredibly talented Broadway-caliber cast. Anthony Crivello is the Phantom, Kristi Holden and Amanda Huddleston play Christine Daaé and Andrew Ragone appears as Raoul. The show, a tale of unrequited love, is based on Gasto
n Leroux’s famous novel about a ghost haunting the Paris Opera House. Christine Daaé, an aspiring opera singer is being tutored by a mysterious man she believes is her “angel of music,” sent to her by the spirit of her dead father.
In reality, her angel is the Phantom of the Opera, a lonely, disfigured man who hides behind a mask and lives in an eerie lair beneath the opera house. Not only does the Phantom fall in love with Christine’s magical voice, he becomes obsessed with her as well.
It doesn’t bode well for anyone when Christine becomes engaged to her childhood sweetheart, Raoul. The Phantom is thrown into a jealous rage, causing mayhem around the opera house and ultimately forcing Christine to choose between the two.
“Phantom – The Las Vegas Spectacular” definitely lives up to its new name. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the show or it’s a first-time experience, you’ll leave the theater wishing the music of the night would never end.
phantom on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:08 am
I had never seen Phantom of the Opera and was told that it’s slightly different to the theatrical production. Thinking it was like other performances I have seen (Rent, Wicked, Chorus Line, etc.) that the best seats are the ones that are as close as you can get to the stage. So I got tickets that were in the second row slightly to the right. Worse decision ever. You have to lean back/twist your neck to watch the dancing chandeliers. The pyrotechnics on stage are blinding. My wife had seen the regular version of Phantom and she was caught off guard by the fireworks – said you can feel the heat come off them. So if you get tickets, you are better off sitting as close to center as possible but farther in the back, in my opinion. The tickets are overpriced but then again that’s what you get when you have a famous show in an expensive hotel.
With respect to the performance itself, the singing was good, but not great. The costumes and the acting were just ok. I wish I had seen the theatrical production first as I don’t really care to see it now. I probably would have appreciated Phantom more.
Jamie on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:08 am
Fabulous! Don’t spend more for the “Golden Circle” it is completely unnecessary. This theater is small enough where every seat is a good seat. We were on the left, orchestra level, row S, seats 60 & 61 on the aisle. These were perfect. This aisle is used by some Phantom actors, and you can expect them to run by you! You are close to the chandelier too! This Phantom production has a Vegas flair with pyrotechnics! This Phantom really played up the psycho side of the Phantom. I’ve seen 2 Broadway productions of the Phantom and this one was excellent! See it, it’s great!
Jennifer on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:09 am
First I want to point out that I know nothing about theatre! I live in Southern California, so I’ve never been to Broadway. For lack of a better term, I am a theater noob.
Anyways tickets were about 150 bucks each, I went with my twin~ Front row, dead center! It was so awesome
The theater actually looked like something out of a movie, needless to say I was very impressed. I loved how the chandelier fell from the ceiling too. Overall I loved the costumes, stage design, and the performance was really amazing as well. A lot of people said the Broadway preformance is better, but unfortunately I can’t compare the two since I’ve only seen it live here in Vegas.
I thought it was worth every penny and I intend on seeing it again maybe at the end of this year.
* I went in August of 2007
IMPORTANT: If you guys plan on going, the coupon code: “DESTINCP” will get you $25 bucks off tickets if you sit in either the Golden Circle or the Orchaestra seats
save your money on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:10 am
I’m a major Phantom of the Opera fan. I’ve seen the stage production twice, and just bought tickets to watch it again. I’ve bought the movie, even though it wasn’t as good as the stage production. So I was super excited to see this in Vegas back in late 2007.
I went by myself, as my friends decided they would rather hang out in the hotel room than go see shows, gamble, or shopping. When the music started, I got excited, and then the singing started.
Wow. The singing was….just…wow. And not in a good way either. The guy who played the Phantom was not good. Not terrible, but not good. He felt the need to vibrato EVERY SINGLE NOTE he sang, which got extremely annoying. To be fair, everyone else was quite good.
The costumes were not as elaborate as those I’m used to seeing. They cut out pretty much all of the speaking parts, which really cut down on the running time, and so was a huge disappointment. And if I remember correctly, they also shortened some of the songs, which is a HUGE no-no for a musical.
In short, I would recommend saving your money to watch Phantom as a full musical on Broadway if it’s your first time ever seeing the show. It’s simply not worth spending all that money for a half-@ssed excuse for a musical.
chrsm on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:10 am
I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Granted I had been funneling wine prior to attending but I happened to be really moved by the performances I saw here. The theater is impressive and the special effects were really nifty. I loved the swinging chandelier and the pyrotechnics. I thought all the performers were great and I didn’t think there really was a bad seat in the house. Costumes and scenery were impressive as well. We paid $72 for decent seats and we actually moved BACK because the couple behind us were chewing on god knows what, which was really annoying and we could still see without a problem. It is a condensed version of the Phantom, but in Vegas I think that shortening it was probably a wise idea. The bar has limited wine and cocktails available for purchase. They served Kendall Jackson Merlot which I happen to love so that was an added bonus. We called ahead for tickets and picked them up an hour prior to the show as advised by the person who helped us because the line can get nuts right before the show. After the sh*tshow at Tao the night before we were in need of a low key but entertaining night out and Phantom provided just that.
lovedit! on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:10 am
To preface: I’m a very cynical theatre major. I hated the Phantom movie and I have an aversion to Andrew Lloyd Webber. I didn’t think I was going to see this show while I was in Las Vegas.
…then I heard that the theatre was built for the show and I thought: how could I not experience this show? I am so glad I changed my mind for the technical aspects alone. The chandelier itself is amazing. The sets are amazing. The costumes are amazing. And yes, the singing is amazing too, but I was expecting that. The shear spectacle of this show is worth the price.
I was left amazed, and I can only imagine that anyone who doesn’t know what goes on behind the scenes to make every special effect possible will be even more enthralled.
usher on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:11 am
the show was great! great costumes, signing, and special effects all around. my gf and i really appreciate the new 40mil theatre as well. it was really nice.
the actual theater is small and even the “cheapest” seats had a great view. i’ll definitely try to come out and watch it again. we scored some pretty good tickets for a great price and when we got there, the usher offered us 2 seats in the golden circle. dropped the guy a jefferson and off we were. cant beat that for $153.
hair on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:11 am
We bought our tickets last minute, but fortunately we had great seats in the Orchestra section. I have to warn you that any show in Vegas is pricey–I don’t know if we paid too much, but our tickets were $108 each.
Even though it was expensive, I was very satisfied with the show. As others have mentioned, the set is amazing because the theater was built specfically for Phantom. I especially enjoyed the chandelier and the fake audience on the sides. Talented cast and beautiful music.
One negative was the random firecrackers during a pitch-black scene, which hurt my eyes! Also, you have to know that it’s a condensed Vegas-version of Phantom because it’s only 90 minutes long with no intermission.
jessica on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:11 am
I had been waiting to watch Phantom of the Opera since I was in first grade (I got sick and couldn’t go). What better way to experience it for the first time than on the new Vegas set that cost 40 million dollars to build??
I had high expectations going in knowing how much money was put into this production, and let me tell you it met everyone of them and beyond! Everything was absolutely amazing. The first 10 minutes of the show I had chills running down my body from the powerful orchestra playing the main theme song; Andrew Lloyd Webber is genius, composed in the 80s and I’d still rock out to those jams in my car!
The cast was spectacular. The woman who played Christine (I think her name was Kristine also..?) had the most pure voice. The Phantom was fantastic as well. Everyone made the story very believable and exciting to watch. Their costumes were so elaborate and beautiful.
The set was simply amazing. For the first 30 minutes I honestly thought those mannequins would start movin’ around- they look so damn real. I didn’t know they could possible do so much on that small of an area such as a stage.
All and all a simply superb production. I applaud all of the participants. I believe we paid $100 for a first row balcony seat. They were a bit further than I had liked. Our seats were great , but I could just imagine how many more stars I would have added if we were closer!
erick on Tue, 2nd Dec 2008 1:12 am
While walking through the Venitian we were approached by a timeshare rep. stating we could get tickets to a show. We replied that we were local which usually stops them and lets us move along. Apparently these days they’ll take anyone, so we ended up sitting through a timeshare presentation for two $25.00 tix to see Phantom of the Opera.
Just walking into the lobby of the theater is impressive. Having watched the movie prior to seeing the play, I knew what to expect. The theater here matches what has been seen in the movie; even in the sides of the theater are booths filled with lifelike mannequins (and as always, the empty booth for the Phantom). As you enter the theater, the chandelier is in pieces throughout the room, but as the play turns back in time to when the theater was open, the chandelier spins around the room, piecing itself back together. It is quite…”Spectacular”… to see. There are many instances where you will be watching the chandelier. If you can get tickets on either side, behind or under the chandelier you will be glad you did.
The cast is especially good and sings very well. For a self-admitted bore when it comes to shows like this, I quite enjoyed the singing, dancing and acting that went into the show. The movie and play matched up well together; the stage effects made it almost as if you were watching a movie.
The tickets are quite pricey but well worth it (do like I did, however, with the timeshare bit) but even with passes, if you show up early enough you can usually get a good seat. The seats are a bit uncomfortable but it goes with the old style of the theater, so I guess one has to suffer for a better show.
I would go again, but will only do one of these shows if I am on a date…not a good bachelor party show (try Spearmint Rhino or X-Burlesque.