John Katsilometes gets the official explanation from the executive producer of ‘Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular’ as to why the show’s schedule is changing

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006 | 7:55 a.m.

In explaining a shuffled schedule for "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular," Executive Producer Scott Zeiger said the show is doing "great."

Great, with an asterisk.

The 10 p.m. performances at the Venetian are experiencing what Zeiger refers to as "unsold inventory" - "empty seats" to you and me. To those involved with the production, the sight of a sea of empty seats in a $40 million theater is almost as frightening as the unmasked Phantom. Thus, a shift in strategy for the "Phantom" showtimes was in order, and beginning Oct. 16 the number of 10 p.m. shows will be halved (from four to two) with earlier performances set for Saturdays and Sundays. On Saturdays "Phantom" will be staged at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.; the Sunday schedule will be 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

As Zeiger, who is the chief executive of BASE Entertainment (the company that produces "Phantom"), specified Tuesday during a phone interview from his office in New York, the 7 p.m. shows are selling about 1,500 of 1,800 seats. But the later performances - at 10 p.m. - often go off with as many as 500 seats unsold.

"There are a couple of reasons for that, one being the new nightclub competition we're seeing - the line at Tao starts at about 10 o'clock and places like Pure and Tangerine are just jamming. It's a newly evolving form of entertainment on the market," Zeiger said.

"No. 2, our crowd, a lot of them are theatergoers who pay attention to the plot. They have to listen to the lyrics and understand the story. If you are starting at 10 p.m., it is a little late for that. If you've been out in Las Vegas and had a couple of drinks, you can't let the sensory overload take over. You're not in the mood."

Zeiger stressed that the show's gross sales are nearly double what it makes at the Majestic Theater on Broadway (which seats 1,655 to the Phantom Theatre's 1,800) with Broadway ticket prices ($115-$135) comparable to those at the Venetian. The Las Vegas production also pulls in about 50 percent more revenue than does the "Phantom's" touring productions, which often play at venues larger than the Venetian. Zeiger said the earlier showtimes - to be termed "early evening" rather than "matinee" - will be more fan-friendly.

He also said there were no plans to knock down ticket prices (which range from $75 to $150) for local ticket-buyers.

"Locals are very, very important, in terms of spreading goodwill and word-of-mouth about the show," Zeiger said. "But the fact of the matter is there is a very reasonable price range. On Broadway, you'll never find a discounted ticket for a hot show in its first three years. We've opened, we've got great reviews We've only been open for two months; so we don't have that much history, but our grosses are fantastic, we just don't want that much unsold inventory."

NoteMart

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