Posted: Jun 24, 2008, 1:05 AM CST
robox wrote:phantom sounds cool!
Show Review (Vegas.com) [editted for space]
Unmasking 'Phantom'
By Kristine McKenzie
When the Venetian resort announced it was spending $40 Mil. to design a custom-built theater for "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular," (TLVS) 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 - TLVS and pared the show from its original 2.5 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. The site, 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 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 and each one is completely outfitted in an authentic period costume.
The centerpiece of the theater is the chandelier, which weighs 2,100 pounds and cost $4.5 Mil. to create. The shimmering chandelier is comprised of 29,444 individual crystals that were hand strung.
In this version, 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 production differs from the original with new sets, state-of-the-art technology and special effects.
Enhancement and modernization of the illusions throughout the show were developed in part by Jim Steinmeyer, who has also worked with David Copperfield.
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.
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