Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular

Beloved show lives up to new name

By Kristine McKenzie

Sparkling pyrotechnics, elaborate sets, lavish costumes and a $40-million theater. These are just a few of the reasons Andrew Lloyd Webber's beloved Broadway smash "The Phantom of the Opera" was given a slightly tweaked name for its Vegas staging - "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular."

Spectacular it is. The ornate custom-built theater at the Venetian was specifically created to make audiences feel as if they've just stepped into the Opera Garnier in Paris. The sets are intricate, taking you from the heights of the roof of the Paris Opera House to the depths of the underground lake that the Phantom inhabits. Special effects have been added to the Las Vegas version of the show including some blinding pyrotechnics and a dramatic effect with the show's famous chandelier, which hangs above the theater in four pieces.

Even though the show 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 pared the show from its original 2 and a half hours down to 95 minutes. Some dialogue and the intermission have been cut from the original, but all of Webber's well-known music remains intact and a live 19-piece orchestra enhances the experience.

"Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular" features an incredibly talented Broadway-caliber cast with Anthony Crivello as 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 Gaston Leroux's famous novel about a ghost haunting the Paris Opera. 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 amidst the lake 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.

"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. In January 2006, it became the longest-running show in Broadway history.