Las Vegas Production

If anyone is thinking of going to the final week, think fast as tickets are going VERY fast.

Such a shock to hear the news that the show is closing. I'm still in disbelief and keep thinking I'm dreaming and at any second someone is going to wake me up and all will be well with the production.
Vegas though runs to the beat of a different drum. Shows come and go whether or not they are selling well. Casinos like to keep bringing in something new. I can't say for sure if that's the case with the Vegas closing but it's happened a number of times with Vegas shows (Lion King, Spamalot, Blueman).

I was doing some reading on LV Phantom this morn. Came across this article from June of last year: http://www.lasvegassun.com/blogs/kats-report/2011/jun/20/zeiger-fifth-anniversary-phantom-solid-footing-don/

Scott Zeiger, a co-producer for POTO in LV says the show sells on average 1200 of the 1800 seats, and this show isn't alone. All the Vegas shows don't sell out, nor do B'Way shows (Except Book of Mormon). I also get the sense from the article he thinks the show will be around for a while.

But according to this article: http://www.lvrj.com/neon/venetian-s-phantom-closing-in-september-137114608.html

Sadly, it's all financial. Even though the show's always in the black weekly, but it still is $20 million short of that initial investment ($35 mil on top of $42 mil to build the theatre).

It's rumored that Spider-man Turn Off the Dark will replace POTO.

I'm sure everyone's getting tired of hearing, It's the economy. Causing havoc everywhere one looks

Again not saying I know it's not purely the economic state that is the reason for closing but those ticket figures quoted above are pretty much on par with many Vegas shows even before the economy went down the toilet. Unless you're Celine Dion(love her or hate her) or someone of that type on a limited run, Vegas shows typically don't continually sell out. If they do sell out, it's quite likely a lot of those seats were sold at a cheaper brokered price.

Vegas likes to keep up with trends. Ultra lounges/clubs, wine bars are in right now. The Venetian chose to close the Phantom Boutique back in 2010 and put in place one of its signature stores that includes fancy wines. A lot other Vegas casinos have also closed some of their popular places on their properties in order to put in ultra clubs, wine bars etc.

I'm not posting that as an "I think ALW is behind the closing" either. I doubt he has anything to do with it.

Speaking of wines & lounges... At the Cosmopolitan hotel is the Chandelier Lounge. It's a three level lounge that is inside of a giant crystal chandelier. It's really gorgeous and might be something fans(of drinking age) might want to check out. It's really beautiful...and this is coming from someone who does not go to clubs etc. If you go in the daytime it's a really nice, quiet relaxing place.

Vegas is the perfect place for Spider-Man.

SenorSwanky wrote:Vegas is the perfect place for Spider-Man.

At a venue like The Venetian, I would think Spider Man would seem decidedly out of place.

And I can't bear the thought of them gutting the Phantom's Theater to update it for some modern crap show.

~Madame~

MasqPhan wrote:The Venetian chose to close the Phantom Boutique back in 2010 and put in place one of its signature stores that includes fancy wines.

Sheesh...I personally think every city needs a Phantom boutique.

Anyhow, Vegas has never been a place I've wanted to visit except to see Phantom. I doubt I can make it before the closing, though.

I saw the bad news on Facebook just before I went to bed and, really, I actually thought it was just an unpleasant dream.

Damn, this is awful. Well, I'm already heading out to Broadway. If I wasn't, then you bet your masks and scarves I'd be heading out there!

I still think, no matter the (original) Phantom production, it'd be nice if the fans can give it a great send off.

ML6, I've already put plans into motion to have a lot of us phans converge on Vegas for the final performances in an unofficial sort of Phantom Fans Week. We're still working out details on accommodations, but we've already started purchasing our show tickets. So the cast will certainly be getting a great send-off from us

R.

Raphael, when will you be there exactly? (Since you said "performanceS") 2012 is already a bit of an indulgence year for me (and it's only Jan! ), but it'd be so amazing to have a phan get-together for the end! Sounds like tickets may sell out quickly, though. I may be too late.

Loettchen, I will be attending the final 5 performances from 30 August to 2 September. I know lots of phans who will be there, so we are definitely hoping to make that final week an unofficial Phans Week for all of us to get together. Tickets are selling quickly for the last 2 nights, but there are still seats available last time I checked a couple of days ago.

I'll also be seeing the show during my birthday trip to Las Vegas in mid-April and I plan on attending around the 6th Anniversary in June.

R.

I plan to venture to Vegas this summer and catch it before it closes! Im also a bit surprised by the prospect of Spider-Man going into the venetian mainly because...it seems so out of place; possibly at Ny, Ny resort, but venetian?

Welcome to the forum StrangerThanUDreamt

Glad to hear you're coming out to see the Las Vegas production. Will it be your first time seeing the show there?

Yes, Venice (and by way of association, the Venetian) elicits an aura of romance and mystery. Something neither Spider-Man nor any of the other shows allegedly coming to the Venetian/Palazzo evoke.

R.

Hey thanks!

Yes it will be my first time seeing the Vegas show; I've seen the national tour twice though (Gary and Beth!)

Loettchen wrote:Sounds like tickets may sell out quickly, though. I may be too late.

Loettchen, I actually have a spare ticket I won't be using for the Saturday 1 September 9:30pm show. It's available if anyone wants it. Just PM me for details.

R.

Hey, it's pretty much said that we'll be going to the last show and we wanted to sit in the Golden, but those seats are gone now, so I was wondering if anyone would have an extra goody bag they'd be willing to sell me? ..The tix were $185, so it wouldn't be fair to go over that price for just the bag and everything in it. So anyone wanna work something out? Please let me know, thanks!

Looks like I'll be seeing it for my first, (and last) time this summer; I do wonder of the final performance will see an appearance of Webber himself?

Is anyone able to verify the following?

Audiences benefited from the "supersizing" of "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" with fireworks and stunts, and it was arguably necessary to renew interest in the title. But The Venetian production is said to be $20 million shy of its $35 million investment, on its way to being the only version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" ever to lose money.

By contrast, the first national "tour" of "Phantom" sat in Los Angeles and San Francisco for a combined run of nearly 10 years, grossing more than $305 million. (Three national tours of the show grossed a combined $1.5 billion, a statistic that could be bent to argue either that the "Phantom" endures, or that Las Vegas waited until the cow was nearly milked dry.)

Source: http://www.lvrj.com/neon/broadway-in-casinos-still-shows-signs-of-life-137655933.html

It's not true that it'd be the first production of Phantom to lose money -- RUG managed to achieve that by spectacularly mismanaging the Swiss production, something which Cameron criticised -- but I'm surprised that the Vegas production didn't make its money back. I know building a theatre for it was a hugely expensive thing to do, but were they working on figures that expected a decade-long run for this to break even? If so, I'm surprised, since Broadway shows prior to Phantom didn't have a great track record, and you'd have thought they'd take that into account...

But seriously - did they expect Phantom alone to finance the theatre? That's insane. It's not like they built Her Majesty's Theatre solely for the opening production of 'Seats of the Mighty'...

I would have thought three or four successful productions would be necessary to finance it. Regardless of the other costs, it's not normal to make one show finance a whole theatre building.

Scorp wrote:Is anyone able to verify the following?

Audiences benefited from the "supersizing" of "Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" with fireworks and stunts, and it was arguably necessary to renew interest in the title. But The Venetian production is said to be $20 million shy of its $35 million investment, on its way to being the only version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" ever to lose money.

By contrast, the first national "tour" of "Phantom" sat in Los Angeles and San Francisco for a combined run of nearly 10 years, grossing more than $305 million. (Three national tours of the show grossed a combined $1.5 billion, a statistic that could be bent to argue either that the "Phantom" endures, or that Las Vegas waited until the cow was nearly milked dry.)

Source: http://www.lvrj.com/neon/broadway-in-casinos-still-shows-signs-of-life-137655933.html

It's not true that it'd be the first production of Phantom to lose money -- RUG managed to achieve that by spectacularly mismanaging the Swiss production, something which Cameron criticised -- but I'm surprised that the Vegas production didn't make its money back. I know building a theatre for it was a hugely expensive thing to do, but were they working on figures that expected a decade-long run for this to break even? If so, I'm surprised, since Broadway shows prior to Phantom didn't have a great track record, and you'd have thought they'd take that into account...

I had read on a different blog that the total cost of mounting the Las Vegas production was around $77 million and they will be falling $20 million short of that:

While the Las Vegas Sun simply amplified Zeiger’s spin doctoring, the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Mike Weatherford dug deeper and found that the length of Phantom’s epic run didn’t compute into financial success. Zeiger expects to lose $20 million of the show’s $77 million production budget, even after labor concessions and even discounts on royalties — practically unheard-of in the theater world. The show was making its “nut” and then some, but operating profits weren’t sufficient to recoup that $77 million initial outlay. (Annual anniversary celebrations got smaller and stingier, then petered out altogether.) Zeiger hints to Weatherford that paying rent to the Venetian for five years also contributed to the show’s eventual demise. That certainly harmonizes with the recurring theme heard from other recent defectors from the House of Adelson. Sands is already working on restocking its suddenly decimated entertainment lineup, but the shows being considered — Rock of Ages, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark — look like discount merchandise by comparison.

So I'm not really sure what to believe. All I do know is that once the show closes, the sets will be destroyed and this particular iteration of Phantom will never be seen again.

R.

Raphael wrote: ... the sets will be destroyed ...

R.

You know, I think deep down I knew that the dismantling of the Phantom's Theater was inevitable, but actually seeing those words put down on 'paper' just really struck a painful chord in me and brought to mind this quote about the destruction of the legendary old Pennsylvania Station in New York City, which was demolished amid public outcry in 1963 and replaced by the current Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

"Any city gets what it admires, will pay for, and, ultimately, deserves. ... We want and deserve tin-can architecture in a tinhorn culture. And we will probably be judged not by the monuments we build but by those we have destroyed."
- "Farewell to Penn Station," New York Times editorial, October 30, 1963

*contemplative*

~Madame~

I wouldn't compare the Phantom theater to Penn Station, but I tend to agree with you on historic preservation. They still don't do a great job of it in NY. I hated to see them completely demolish Yankee Stadium. Should've at least left most of the shell, even if they made it a park, and created a museum there around the recreational ball field it now is.

Back on topic, or at least tangentially...Adelson might've bled the company with its rent, but I thank him for one thing: donating $11 million+ to the Gingrich Super PAC for attack ads on Romney. Fine American.

Raphael wrote:
So I'm not really sure what to believe. All I do know is that once the show closes, the sets will be destroyed and this particular iteration of Phantom will never be seen again.

R.

What about the props and costumes??
OG

Most likely put into storage for use in other productions.

R.

thephanfullerton wrote:What about the props and costumes??
OG

Now I'm speculating wildly here... But from what I've heard from both cast members and dressers, the costumes from the closed US tour was merged into the Broadway company. One of the dressers on B'way commented on how much more cared for the US tour costumes were, and Paloma Garcia Lee said she was happy to get her US tour monkey girl costume to Broadway, as it wasn't nearly as warm and heavy as the Broadway one.

So... if the rumours of a new US tour is true, I would almost think the Vegas costumes would be used for that, seeing how the other costumes are "taken". Eventually, the freshest ones would replace the worn out ones, and the lot would be divided between B'way and a new tour. Ditto for props.

Another option would be to auction off some of it, like they did in Hamburg and Toronto.

But as mentioned, I'm merely speculating.

ETA. I REALLY hope the cast get to keep some of their favourite items, though...

It would be awesome if they had an auction when it closes. They teased us on FB asking if we could have an item from the show, what would it be? A difficult question to answer as there are many cool things out there. Too difficult to choose....

phantomfett wrote:It would be awesome if they had an auction when it closes. They teased us on FB asking if we could have an item from the show, what would it be? A difficult question to answer as there are many cool things out there. Too difficult to choose....

Oh yes, but I would buy some things...! Don´t know which one...

phantomfett wrote:It would be awesome if they had an auction when it closes.

Well there's one way they can make their $20 million back *LOL*

@operafantomet: The costumes could very well be used for a new tour, although I imagine at the very least the principals would have their costumes specially tailored for them. And I'd think that if there's a chance that some of the Vegas actors would at some point relocate to either the Broadway or tour, they'd want to keep the costumes readily available to be pulled from the rack instead of making fresh ones. You know how into recycling the US companies are when it comes to their pool of actors

R.

Raphael wrote:Loettchen, I will be attending the final 5 performances from 30 August to 2 September. I know lots of phans who will be there, so we are definitely hoping to make that final week an unofficial Phans Week for all of us to get together. Tickets are selling quickly for the last 2 nights, but there are still seats available last time I checked a couple of days ago.

I'll also be seeing the show during my birthday trip to Las Vegas in mid-April and I plan on attending around the 6th Anniversary in June.

R.

I was never in Las Vegas before but it would be great to see the last shows.

Raphael wrote:@operafantomet: The costumes could very well be used for a new tour, although I imagine at the very least the principals would have their costumes specially tailored for them. And I'd think that if there's a chance that some of the Vegas actors would at some point relocate to either the Broadway or tour, they'd want to keep the costumes readily available to be pulled from the rack instead of making fresh ones. You know how into recycling the US companies are when it comes to their pool of actors

It's long since the leads got a tailored wardrobe made especially for them. I think the last one in the US, apart from the original Vegas cast obviously, was Sandra Joseph right before the "Longest Running" performance. They re-use as much as possible, and just in cases where the are no good fits of decent quality they make new ones. An exception is probably the dressing gown and the wedding dress, which are roughly treated and easily ripped/damaged. They are replaced more often.

But you're right about some of the Vegas cast appearing on Broadway and in the rumoured US tour. I would be surprised if that DIDN'T happen, and there are some faces I hope remains within the "phamily" for some time still.

This assuming the US tour IS happening and that they're using the original design. It might all be bogus.

operafantomet wrote:It's long since the leads got a tailored wardrobe made especially for them. I think the last one in the US, apart from the original Vegas cast obviously, was Sandra Joseph right before the "Longest Running" performance. They re-use as much as possible, and just in cases where the are no good fits of decent quality they make new ones. An exception is probably the dressing gown and the wedding dress, which are roughly treated and easily ripped/damaged. They are replaced more often.

Really? Wow, I'd just assumed since they'd done so for the Vegas cast when it opened that it was standard practice. But considering the cost of materials and labor, I can understand why they'd try to recycle as best they could, even for a brand new tour.

This just in, new photoshoot and Valentine's Day article in this week's What's On Las Vegas guide:

http://whats-on.com/article/phantoms-desire

R.