Travel : The Phantom of the Opera (Las Vegas)
Entertainment, Travel — By trench on April 26, 2009 at 12:07 am | 284 VisitorsThe $40 million dollar Phantom Theatre located in the Venetian Resort, Hotel and Casino is as grand and spectacular as everyone said it would be. With the help of some good friends, my wife and I were able to snatch some complementary tickets to a weekday showing and sat in the orchestra section which would have set us back approximately $250.00 if we had paid in full.
Having watched the Broadway classic on smaller scales before, I was quite familiar with the script and score, but I’ve never experienced it on such a large scale before. My family had the opportunity to attend the musical on Broadway several years ago, but I was unable to attend with them so I was really looking forward to making up for a missed opportunity.
What caught me immediately by surprise was the shortened length of the musical. It wasn’t until much later that I found out that shortened versions of Broadway musicals were typical in Vegas. With the abridged version running only 95 minutes in length, much of the original dialogue and several of the songs had to be cut in length. Although it was shortened by close to 40 minutes, the enhanced special effects and amazing chandelier in the center of the theatre easily made up for it. As with most other Vegas shows, The Phantom of the Opera would not have been complete without fireworks and pyrotechnics as well as the incredible sound effects, so overall, it ended up being quite a unique experience for me.
As far as performances go, I can’t say I was blown away by any of the main cast. Anthony Crivello, who plays the Phantom had an amazing range vocally, but seemed to lack the Phantom’s fearsome notoriety expected in this classic. Kristi Holden was gorgeous and had an amazing soprano voice, but never could quite grab a hold of me with her character’s passion and intensity.
Overall, if you’ve never seen the Phantom of the Opera in its entirety before, this Vegas musical is a great option. With all the “Vegas” extras included to add to the excitement and drama of the original, this version of the Broadway musical classic is truly is a worthwhile venture.
My favorite song from the musical : The Music of the Night Whats yours?
Tags: Andrew Lloyd Webber, las_vegas, Travel, Vacation, Venetian Hotel
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I have mixed heritage of Chamorro, Filipino, and Japanese and I currently reside on the beautiful island of Guam. My interests include critiquing films, eating out, import cars, gaming, web design, MMA, and bodybuilding. I'm also a die-hard fan of both the Los Angeles Lakers and San Francisco 49ers. I hate bandwagon fans!
6 Comments
Wow it looks amazing, you are a lucky man, I wish I have the same opportunity just like you.
blog4movies last blog post..The Soloist
My husband and I are going to this show this weekend and I’m wondering what people usually wear at a show like this. Usually I’d kind of dress up, but I’m betting the Las Vegas abridged version is more casual.
Its definitely more casual. I wore a button up long sleeve with a pair of denim jeans. My wife wore a blouse and bermudas. Have fun!
From the Las Vegas Review Journal- Jan., 2009-
“Anthony Crivello adds an edge of menace to his pining for Kristi Holden’s Christine.”
“And when you do, you find an unabashed melodrama (by its original definition) that dares to take itself seriously and unfolds with an intensity rare for a city where entertainment is mostly laughs or eye candy. No matter what you think of “Phantom” as a creative work, no one could walk away from this production thinking it less than first-rate, from the live orchestra to the overqualified casting of even the smallest roles.
Maria Bjornson’s original production design — which elevated the project by several stories — has been extended into the audience by popular architect David Rockwell. Victorian mannequins stare down from overhead skyboxes, and the self-assembly of the mega-humongous chandelier makes for the grandest opening of any show on the Strip.
The haunted house atmosphere perfectly fits the Phantom as embodied by Anthony Crivello. Once one of two leads splitting up the schedule, he is now the star of all eight weekly performances, and works beyond the script to reconnect the character back to his pre-1986 life as a twisted genius who occasionally frightened people.
Crivello applies a bit of fine-grain sandpaper to the role remembered for Michael Crawford’s romantic polish. His climactic showdown with the other two members of his romantic triangle summons the fury of Lon Chaney’s silent-movie icon (which many fans of the musical likely know only as an image).
Original director Hal Prince returned to give this production a careful pruning, which makes it the rare Broadway-to-Vegas title to improve with a shorter running time. A little parody of 1880s opera goes a long way, and no one should miss fewer repetitions of the musical phrases Lloyd Webber used over and over again to get through the exposition.
…follow Crivello into that resonant space between the lines.”
Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com
(Posted by Jack Simon- Asst. to Anthony Crivello)
Jack Simons last blog post..Tony Award winner Anthony Crivello to continue as “The Phantom” through June 2010.
Who wouldn’t love a show that’s based around the antics of a madman? Just think of Heath Ledger’s Joker in this summer’s blockbuster The Dark Knight! Similarly, Anthony Crivello, the star of “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular,” also delivers a truly brilliant lunatic—whether he’s hanging a stagehand or hanging from the production’s famed chandelier.
A veteran of Broadway as well as amazing in voice and presence, his embodiment of the Phantom not only captures a horrifically deformed monster but also a vulnerable person. In fact, I found that I liked this character even when he did terrible things and was almost rooting for him to end up with Christine in the epic love triangle.
He doesn’t, of course. Fans of the haunting love story that is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” worry that the Las Vegas production is lacking because it has been shortened to 95 minutes.
But I am whole-heartedly telling you not to worry. Along with the talented cast, the majority of the score is all there, as are the gorgeous costumes and lavish sets—including the grand staircase in “Masquerade” that makes the cast look even larger than it is. Plus, there’s an awesome appearance of the exterior of the Paris Opera House that can only be seen in Las Vegas.
If you’ve heard naysayers complain that the chandelier scene in the opening moments of the production is its singular highlight, don’t believe them. The entire show will take your breath away—and the pyrotechnics may take away some of your vision, which is only temporary. Just remember, like Las Vegas, “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular” is entertainment on the grandest of scales.
Brought to you by the What’s On staff