Two phantoms haunt Venetian

Monday, June 5, 2006 | 7:20 a.m.

What: "Phantom - The Las Vegas Spectacular"

When: Previews run June 12-23 at 7 p.m. Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays; following previews, the show will run at 7 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays; 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; dark Tuesdays

Where: Venetian's Phantom Theatre

Tickets: $107 to $132

Information: 414-4300

Not only is the Phantom of the Opera deranged and disfigured, he has a split personality.

In five performances a week starting later this month in Las Vegas, he will be portrayed by Brent Barrett.

And in another five performances a week, he will be portrayed by Anthony Crivello.

Andrew Lloyd Webber's 95-minute, Vegas-ized version of his classic, award-winning musical premieres at the Venetian on June 12.

Both Barrett and Crivello bring heavyweight credentials to the Venetian's new theater, built specifically for "Phantom" and guaranteed to make this production the most technologically advanced of all the shows currently playing around the world.

Neither actor is intimidated nor concerned about joining the cast of a new version of a legendary musical, one that will be played on the often-maligned Las Vegas Strip rather than the venerable Great White Way.

The reason for the confidence can be summed up in director Hal Prince, who directed both the original version of "Phantom," which debuted in London in 1986 and is still running, and the Broadway version, which debuted in 1987 and also is still running.

"Hal is in charge," Barrett said. "All the original (creators) came together to create the 95-minute version - and Hal is here.

"I think the integrity of the show will be maintained, even though it's a shorter version."

Barrett is a relative newcomer to Vegas, but he had no qualms about coming here to perform in "Phantom."

"Five years ago if you told me they were going to be doing 'Phantom of the Opera' here I'd have said, 'You're crazy,' " he said.

But he said a lot of his friends have moved here or performed here in recent years, including Reba McEntire. Although she does not live here, McEntire recently signed a long-term contract with the Hilton and performs here every few weeks.

Barrett co-starred with McEntire in "Annie Get Your Gun" on Broadway in 2001.

"We still keep in touch," he said.

Barrett believes that even more opportunities will develop for performers such as himself in the future.

"But actually they have been doing Broadway shows here as far back as the '50s and '60s," Barrett said. "There has always been an outlet for theater here, but as the community grows and more people move in, there will be even more opportunities."

He concedes he has thought about the possibility of "Phantom" failing here.

"Whenever you are trying something new there is always that possibility, the potential for failure," Barrett said. "But 'Phantom' is so branded, even if people haven't seen the show, they are familiar with it."

Crivello also is confident about his decision to accept the lead in "Phantom."

"No qualms whatsoever," he said. "The person I foremost trust is Hal Prince."

Crivello has worked with Prince in two Broadway productions, 1979's "Evita" and "Kiss of the Spider Woman" in 1993. "Evita" was produced by Webber.

Crivello notes that Prince is no stranger to Las Vegas, having brought several productions to the desert in the '50s and '60s, including "Pajama Game" (Riviera) and "Fiddler on the Roof" (Caesars Palace).

After a lengthy career on Broadway, Crivello appreciates some of the differences between it and Las Vegas.

"Gaming can support the arts," he said. "When you see the Phantom Theatre, you will understand and agree."

The Venetian spent millions creating a theater specifically for the musical, which is unheard of on Broadway because of the expense, the lack of space and the emphasis on preserving historic sites.

But there also is at least one major difference between New York and Las Vegas that concerns Crivello: the dry air.

"I have some trepidation about the desert dryness," he said. "But everyone is well aware of the problem (how it affects the throat) - it's something that has to be dealt with."

While he may have come concern about getting "Vegas throat," as the condition is known among local performers, Crivello has no concern about being looked down upon by actors in the East for performing in Vegas.

"Ten to 15 years ago I was telling people that Las Vegas was on the way to becoming the West Coast theater capital of America, and they snickered," he said.

Crivello believes he has been proved right, pointing to all of the Broadway shows that are playing here or have played here.

"This production is going to do nothing but cement that," he said. "It was a brilliant move - not just putting a Broadway show in the Venetian, but one that has such a massive track record and is still being produced."

Since its premiere in London in 1986, "Phantom" has had more than 65,000 performances in 110 cities around the world, grossing more than $3 billion. It is the longest-running production in Broadway history, with more than 7,500 performances under its belt.

When it opened on Broadway it swept the 1988 Tony Awards, winning seven awards, including Best Musical.

"It is not only a proven commodity," Crivello said, "but it regenerates itself - a film version just came out (2004) which created new interest."

Since the publication of Gaston Leroux's French novel in 1910, there have been dozens of stage and film versions of the story.

But none has been more successful than the musical created by Webber.

Perhaps the most notable film versions were the ones starring Lon Chaney in 1925 and Claude Raines in 1943.

Crivello says Webber and the other creators of the musical are taking the 18-year-old production and using state of the art technology to reinvent the musical.

"It's great to be a part of it," he said. "The interior of the theater is going to blow people's minds - it's such a beautiful thing."