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Denise Truscello/WireImage/DeniseTruscello.net
Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular cast member Anthony Crivello celebrates five years at the Venetian on June 23, 2011.
Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012 | 10:51 p.m.
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- Anthony Crivello, Mark Curry
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Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular cast members Anthony Crivello, Kristi Holden, Kristen Hertzenberg and Andrew Ragone celebrate five years at the Venetian on June 23, 2011.
The 2012 Miss America Pageant contestants at "Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular" at the Venetian.
The Phantom is vanishing, this time for good.
“Phantom -- the Las Vegas Spectacular,” one of Las Vegas’ finest and most lavish production shows over the past five years, is closing Sept. 2.
The show’s company was told tonight in a meeting with BASE Entertainment co-Chief Executive Officer Scott Zeiger at the Venetian, where the show opened in June 2006.
The show’s lead was resigned that the decision was purely business.
“I’ll tell you, there was talk about us closing after a year or two, but we kept on going,” said Anthony Crivello, who played the title role throughout the show’s run, swapping the lead role with Brent Barrett the first year and taking it solo after. “It is a credit to Scott Zeiger that we held on for as long as we were in tough economic times, around the world and in Las Vegas.”
For at least the past couple of years, producers renegotiated union contracts to keep the show profitable. In June, marking the show’s fifth anniversary, Zeiger expressed confidence in the show’s performance.
“First and foremost, from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Hal Prince all the way to the associate choreographer and dance captain, the show is in great shape,” Zeiger said at the time. “The quality is still at a pinnacle. Any concierge or ticket broker in Las Vegas can recommend this show and be confident that whoever they are recommending it to is going to be highly entertained.”
The shortened, special effects-laden show was widely praised by critics and show-goers. Just this week, contestants of the 2012 Miss America Pageant watched a performance.
In a statement issued tonight, Zeiger said, “All involved are very proud of the success that 'Phantom' has achieved here in Las Vegas at the Venetian. Since opening night, critics and fans alike have recognized this production of 'Phantom' is unlike any they have ever seen, or will ever see again. We’ve had a triumphant run by any measure.”
Zeiger was traveling after giving the performers, musicians, stagehands and ushers the news and unavailable for further comment.
Tony Award winner Crivello, who has lived in Las Vegas during the show’s run, said he recognized the tough economic climate for top-end shows as recently as the past few months.
“It is becoming tougher and tougher and is getting more and more competitive,” he said. “You look at ‘Viva Elvis’ (closing this year at Aria) and ‘The Lion King’ (which closed in December at Mandalay Bay), there are so many parameters that come into play for shows to succeed. But it is a question of diminishing returns. The show tightened its belt for as long as it could without dropping in quality.”
“Phantom” is the third show to announce its departure from the Venetian and its sister property, Palazzo, in the past year. “Jersey Boys” has closed at Palazzo and is headed for a March opening at Paris Las Vegas. Blue Man Group is leaving Palazzo for Monte Carlo this fall. No replacement shows have been announced at either hotel.
“Phantom” played to nearly 2,700 audiences in a customized, $40 million theater.
Crivello said the focus of “Phantom” now is to keep the quality of the show customarily high.
“We want to exit on top with a good marketing blitz and end on a high note,” he said. “That is the game plan now. It’s smart business, and it’s good for the show.”
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWithTheDish.
Show will be missed, I have seen this spectacular show three times, loved it every time. Thank you Mr. Crivello, I will never forget your role as The Phantom. I would love to go see the last performance, specially since it falls on my birthday, September 2nd! But I am sure there will be many local Vegas/Los Angeles celebrities attending to wish the show farewell.
It was a great show, but I won't miss all the clutter on the outside of the Venetian for the show such as banners etc...
Sad to see one of the few shows worth their ticket price, close. The strip keeps getting dimmer by the day.
Good show. Have seen it 3 times from different seating locations and appreciated different facets each time.
But it begs a bigger picture question: What's going on with the Ventian/Palazzo? No Phantom, Jersey Boys and BMG? Are they making room for something big or is something else going on? One has to wonder...
What's going on at the Venetian? No more shows?
Venetian has the dumbest entertainment executive team in Las Vegas. Adelson should fire the lot of them and bring in people with brains instead of paper pushers and yes men who have no idea what they are doing.
Adelson is diverting monies to Gingrich.
It looks like the Entire Venetian/Pallazzo is Going Dark with the closing of the Blue Man Group, Jersey Boys and The Phantom. It does look like they need a Marketing Strategy and that stuff they send me certainly will not bring me nor my out of town guests there. I guess you have to be a Billionaire to be appreciated there.
Shows in Las Vegas, come and go. I'm sure there will be another show at the Venetian and it will be bigger and better.
But I will miss The Phantom. Such a high class entertainment.
What I am wondering is what will they do with that multi million dollar chandelier?
I am not really suprised Phantom and other shows are closing, this is what happens when the Casinos pander to the ' Pool Party' people and ignore the older generation. We noticed last April when we visited for the 8th time, their was a change going on. The bars have really loud music and bar dancers, OK for some but we noticed the bars were empty of punters. The younger punters don't want to see the shows or gamble on the machines and tables so I think the Casino owners should look closely to the vacationers they want to attract, they must remember that the young ones will soon find another City to party, and then what will happen to Vegas when all the older ones have stopped comming? Our resort of Blackpool UK where we live has learned this lesson the hard way, the younger partygoers have nearly broken our town but we are bouncing back because they are now going somewhere else.
I want to thank the entire show cast for giving my wife and I a wonderful evening. it was was my wifes (Carol's (70th)birthday on March 25th 2010. Never seeing any Broadway type show in our life for both of us. We were stupified with amazment of what we had just witnessed.The lady who seated us was truley a gem. We both were unaware of the scene of the chandlier dropping. It was right above our seating. We had no idea of the story plot. It is something that neither one of us will ever forget. This show was an experience. Since then I have gotten an interest into stage plays and the music. I now use them as ringtones on our cell phones.We will be comming back on March 25th 2012 to see this show again. Thank you "Pallazo" for the introduction for a great evening as well.
The Uhern's