One of the most successful performances in Broadway history, "The Phantom of the Opera" was lured into the desert with the promise of a luxurious new theater and endless processions of tourists.
According to sources familiar with the hotel's negotiations, Clear Channel Entertainment will produce the Tony Award-winning musical for 90 minutes, $35 million, opening in spring 2006 at the Venice Hotel-Casino.
"Phantom," the latest Broadway show to play Las Vegas, will perform in a space previously used by the Guggenheim Las Vegas Museum, which closed in January 2003. Sources said the casino will pay to re-install the theater, which is expected to cost around $25 million.
Made from the work of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the musical is expected to have a spectacular makeover, including an exploding chandelier and larger stage and set pieces.
The Las Vegas production will be directed by Harold Prince, who directed the original 2.5-hour version, which was released on Broadway in 1988. It is still being performed there and in London. The tour is currently taking place in Minneapolis and will move to Baltimore, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Tampa, Florida, later this year.
"Phantom" gets a new life in Las Vegas, but Venetians get the glamour it's been looking for since the larger of the two Guggenheim museums closed. 릴게임
The movie version of Phantom is set to be released in December. Directed by Joel Schumacher, the film stars Scottish actor Gerard Butler as Phantom, Emmy Rossum as Christine, and Patrick Wilson as a dashing Raul.