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

“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)

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