I was not the normal 4-year-old. Not many kids that age are running around singing songs from The Phantom of the Opera, but I was. The musical is my absolute favorite. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing this musical performed in San Francisco, in Spokane, in London (front row, center at Her Majesty’s Theatre!), and most recently in Las Vegas. I’ve even been to Box 5 in the Paris Opera House, and, of course, I’ve seen the film version more times than I can count.
I had heard interesting things about Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular: no intermission, slight cuts, etc. I’ll admit, it had me a bit worried, but the show was absolutely phenomenal! The theatre in the Venetian hotel was specifically built to house Phantom. The theatre closely resembles the Paris Opera House itself, and the boxes (minus the manager’s box and the well-known box 5) are all filled with exquisite mannequins dressed in the era’s best.
The first thing I noticed was that pieces of the chandelier were already suspended over the audience, and the biggest piece was resting on the stage covered in a cloth (as is usually done with the entire chandelier in most productions). This, for the first time, made the line “Lot 666, then: a chandelier in pieces” make sense. My favorite part of the musical is when they quickly unveil the chandelier, it sparks, the first notes of that famous overture are struck, and the chandelier begins to rise ominously over the audience. In this show, the pieces circled over the audience before finally coming together and resting into its position high above the audience’s heads. Usually, this is the last we pay attention to the chandelier until it comes crashing down over our heads, but in the Vegas show, the phantom actually drops down through a hole at the bottom of the chandelier and holds on by one hand in order to taunt the people onstage.
To me, a very important aspect of the show is the speed at which the chandelier falls. My first experience with this was at a young age when I saw the show in San Francisco. Of course, when you simply listen to the music, you don’t necessarily realize that the chandelier crashes. As is the case with many first-timers, I was terrified – and that is exactly how it is supposed to be. I was disappointed at the speed at which the chandelier fell in Spokane – or rather the crawl at which it fell. In all fairness, I do strongly believe it was a technical glitch, but it was very noticeable. The chandelier falling makes the audience afraid of the phantom, and that fear is needed. The Las Vegas show did not disappoint. The chandelier began to shake, fall apart, and then proceeded to free fall straight down. From my angle in the sixth row, it looked as if it only stopped about four feet above the audience’s heads. The screams were the loudest I’ve heard yet, which is fitting because I’ve never seen the chandelier fall that fast. However, it didn’t fall when it normally does. In the musical, the chandelier falls after Carlotta croaks like a frog at the end of Act One (more on the croaking later), but this show had no acts and no intermissions. Instead, they combined some aspects of the movie with the show – this included dropping the chandelier at the climax near the end of the show, which makes more sense to me. Having a falling chandelier is such a big statement that it needs to be at the climax.
However, this takes me back to the croaking scene. Carlotta, never a favorite of the phantom’s, is singing her part in Il Muto when she suddenly croaks like a frog. This is due to her cruel remark to Christine: “Your part is silent, little toad” to which the phantom remarks, “a toad, Madame? Perhaps it is you who are the toad.” In most productions, Carlotta actually croaks just like a toad. Yet, in the Vegas production, she simply said, “Ribbit.” It did not play well at all and was quite disappointing to those who look forward to the croaking scene. It was simply a poor directorial choice. Of course, the rest of the show made up for it!
As in the movie, some parts were absent from the Las Vegas show while others were added. The scene where Raoul and Christine try to decide whether or not to perform the phantom’s opera (thus hoping to lead him into a trap and capture him at the production) is done differently in the movie vs. the show. In the original show, Madame Giry, Carlotta, Piangi, and the managers are also present. It is at this moment in the show that Christine yells back at Carlotta’s insults by singing, “How dare you! You evil woman! How dare you!” This part of the scene, however, is deleted in both the movie and the Vegas show. Still, the important elements of the scene remain and, in my opinion, make the show tighter.
There were other changes in the Vegas production that, as a seasoned Phantom-lover, kept even me on my toes. One of the most amazing additions was in the Masquerade scene. I won’t ruin it for you, but in the beginning of that song there is a delightful surprise. It was wonderful! They even had a massive set of the Paris Opera House on stage! Another change that kept me on the edge of my seat was at the end. When Raoul comes to the lair in hopes of saving Christine, the phantom lures him close enough to get a noose around his neck. In this position of power, he is able to demand of Christine a sadistic choice: either she chooses to live with the phantom forever and he will allow Raoul to live, or she chooses to be with Raoul and the phantom kills him. In this production, I was waiting to see the noose. Instead, a massive cage rose out of the stage around Raoul and lifted him into the air above Christine and the phantom. When it reached its height, sharp spikes snapped out of the cage straight towards Raoul’s body. I admit, I gasped. However, I like this change. The danger seems more imminent and the change in height makes it impossible for Christine to help. When it was just a noose, I always wondered why Christine didn’t just run over to Raoul and rip the noose off his neck or at least pull down on the rope to give him more slack. This way, she truly was helpless.
One other subtle change was the costumes. Firstly, those were probably the best costumes I’ve seen anywhere. They were beautifully constructed and very similar to the original costumes but with added complexity here and there and with a touch of glitter. Some costumes had more sparkly additions than others, but it was always fitting to the character. Even Madame Giry, usually very plain in a black frock, had tiny sparkling buttons on her top – just subtle enough for her costume.
Actors make or break the show, and these actors were phenomenal. Christine, played by Kristi Holden, had one of the best voices I’ve heard. It was a joy to hear her sing those beloved songs. She was very relatable as well, which is important to the role of Christine.
Carlotta, played by Joan Sobel, also had a wonderful voice, and she only got more over the top as the show went on. This fits the character of Carlotta perfectly. She made all her operatic songs look effortless! Piangi, played by Larry Wayne Morbitt, was a great match for her. His voice was very powerful and a perfect pick for Piangi.
Raoul, played by Benjamin Hale, was probably the best Raoul I have ever seen. His voice was wonderful, his looks fit the part, and his acting was superb. Hale is the alternate for the role. Raoul is usually played by Andrew Ragone.
The phantom, played by Anthony Crivello, had a wonderful voice and was one of the scarier phantoms I’ve seen due to the volatile personality he gave to his representation of the phantom. He was great to watch. However, I have to admit that my favorite phantom was the one I saw in London. He was very strong and had the delicate balance of masculinity vs. childlike tendencies that the phantom requires. Still, this Vegas phantom was great.
I’ve heard people say that once you’ve seen one production of the The Phantom of the Opera then you’ve seen them all. This statement could not be further from the truth. You haven’t seen the show in all its glory until you’ve seen Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular. So, if you’re planning a trip there anytime soon, do not miss this production. Be sure to see The Phantom of the Opera any chance you get.
For more information on Phantom-The Las Vegas Spectacular, please visit www.phantomlasvegas.com.
Comments
Superb review!
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