Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular

Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular Review

This relaunch of The Phantom of the Opera is both leaner and supersized. The customized "opera house" designed by popular architect David Rockwell now surrounds the audience with period atmosphere including costumed mannequins, a chandelier that dwarfs the Broadway original, and a couple of Phantom surprises. Original Broadway director Hal Prince returned to supervise a top-notch cast and shorten the Andrew Lloyd Webber hit to 95 minutes, not much longer than the Lon Chaney silent movie that popularized the tale of the deranged "opera ghost" who coaches a young soprano. The trims are so precise that you'd have to be a Phantom groupie to know what's missing. And if you are, you'll still want to see this production for the new twists.