LowLife Staff Reviews

"A Roller-coaster Ride"

A Review by Karen D'Souza of Mercury News

"'Spectacular' This is "Phantom of the Opera" as theme park. If all the depth and nuance of the Andrew Lloyd Webber megahit were getting you down, this dumbed-down, 90-minute roller-coaster ride may be just the ticket. Set in an ornate $40 million theater that wraps around the audience, surrounding us with the extravagance of the famed Paris opera house, with its baroque architecture to life-size mannequins, this "Phantom" is all about heart-pumping visuals and whoosh-generating hydraulics. The crashing chandelier alone, which plunges to what feels like mere inches above the heads of the crowd, makes Broadway special effects look like finger-puppets. While the love story may feel a little generic and the action-adventure rather rushed, legendary director Hal Prince certainly knows how to get the pulse racing. For those of us who prefer romance over pyrotechnics, quel dommage!"

Reviewed by Ellen Sterling of BroadwayWorld.com
Phantom is Spectacular
"Having been a theatergoer more years than I care to enumerate, I can honestly say I’ve seen lots of plays with lots of sets, lots of costumes and, of course, lots of performers. But never has there been any quite as spectacular as the very aptly named “Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular” which last night celebrated its first anniversary, and 501st performance, at the Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

Not a person usually given to gushing, I really cannot find enough superlatives — interesting superlatives — to describe the show.

This “Phantom” is not like any other production you may see anywhere. It is instead a re-branded, and somewhat re-imagined, version, that was housed in a new theater at that cost $40 million to renovate. The show itself cost $35 million to produce..."

REMAINDER OF REVIEW

More LowLife Reviews

"A Pretty Good Show"

The Mrs. and I went to the Vegas version of the Phantom of the Opera playing at the Venetian. All in all, a fairly good show. While I have never seen another stage version of it so I can't compare it to that, the Mrs. has the movie playing every now and then so I've seen most of the show several times, if only scattered parts of it from the other room. Frankly, it really isn't the type of show I would go out of my way to see.

However, it was the Mrs.' b-day and therefore it became something I would go out of my way to get tickets for...

Mrs. H seemed to enjoy the show as she teared-up two or three times. Me, well, I had a few questions about the plot and it seems that with the show being cut down to 95 minutes there were a few background details they either had to leave out or rush in and they also didn't have quite as much time to develop the personal relationship between the two.

In the movie I sensed a deeper relationship between the Phantom and the female and in the Vegas version it seemed that he was more of a mad and deformed stalker with bad hair and a good singing voice.

I also had just a bit of trouble understanding more than a few words they were singing so while I was getting the gist of what they were feeling and should be saying, I had to fill in a few blanks. Mrs. H, on the other hand, was often singing along so I suppose it was just me.

The staging was good, the singing was more than fine and the acting was just under superb so I give it three and a half stars. And since the Mrs. was very happy with me afterwards (wink, wink) I gave it four stars!

One thing I did wonder about throughout the show was how much the extras in the balconies make just sitting there in costume show after show--no wonder the tickets cost so much!

"Phantasmic!"

This show is breathtaking from the moment the lights go on until the cast is taking their final bow. Costumes, lighting, music, cast...all were outstanding. The chandelier was incredible! Prices vary according to seating, but the stage is set up so that anywhere you sit would be fine. Truly a beautiful event to see while you're here...don't miss it! Having seen it in San Francisco as well, the venue and effects due to the stage size by far surpassed any other!