Anthony Crivello laughs when he tells the story. In March 2006 he was appearing in the Chicago Shakespeare Theater's production of the Georges Feydeau farce, A Flea In Her Ear directed by Gary Griffin.
He is speaking right before the fourth anniversary performance of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular. At the end of the performance, the 1,800 people in the audience were given a phantom mask and a photo captured the moment.
As he is a Milwaukee native and his family is still there, Crivello recalls, "I was telling my family about the play and, since Milwaukee is only 90 miles from Chicago, I hoped they'd come to see me in the play. They didn't.
"Then," he continues, "I signed to play the Phantom in Las Vegas. When I told my family about the show, they all asked, 'Where are you doing it?' I told them it would be in Las Vegas. Every one of them said, 'I'm coming.' And they have."
Crivello is enjoying his time in Las Vegas. He and wife
Dori Rosenthal have two children now and are homeowners. He laughs, "If anybody had told me that I was going to spend an extended amount of time in Las Vegas, I would have told them they were crazy. But it's been wonderful. I found a nice niche here. It's been terrific."
Phantom opened in Las Vegas on June 24, 2006. Since then, out of 1,772 performances, Crivello has played the Phantom approximately 1,300 times. (For the first several months - when there were 10 shows a week, Crivello alternated the role with another actor.)
This version of Phantom is different than any other anywhere. First, it runs a total of 95 minutes with no intermission Part of this is, of course, due to cuts in the script but technology also plays an important role. Crivello explains, "The rehearsal scene was cut and the scene where the managers are talking. Here, the stage and the staircase don't have to be dismantled. Because of the way this production was constructed, we can just continue without waiting for any dismantling of the set and move from scene to scene seamlessly."
Crivello plays in a theater in the
The Venetian Resort and Casino that cost $40 million to convert from its former use and in a version of the show that cost $35 million to stage. With direction by
Hal Prince, production design by the late Maria Bjornsson and her assistant in the original London production,
Paul Kelly, the new theater design by
David Rockwell. new makeup by
Ron Wild and more than 140 people involved behind the scenes, this is a "must-see," even if you've seen the show elsewhere.
It still, as it did on opening night, lives up to the sobriquet "spectacular." It really, really is. That is perhaps why people return many times. "Our box office here mirrors what's happening with the show on Broadway. When they have bumps, we do, too. But here especially, there's a lot of competition. Of course, after 24 years, this show has its own reputation that brings people in," Crivello said.
This version of the show, perhaps more than any other, plays to an international audience and Crivello has played opposite 10 different Christines. "As you know," he points out, "live theater always offers different factors from which to play off. Each audience is different, and they become a players in the performance too. Their energy is felt on stage. And being opposite 10 different Christines - each having her own talents, nuances and interpretation - causes a different set of 'givens' from which to work.
"So, my interpretation changes nightly and, sometimes twice a night when we have two performances. My job is to trust Hal's direction and play the role. I have to stay in the moment, relax, observe what is around me and allow it to affect me," he adds. "As Konstantine Stanislavski said, "There are no accidents on stage, only the potential for Divine Inspiration."
And Inspiration - divine or otherwise - is a very large part of Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular.
To purchase tickets for Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, call the box office, (702) 414-9000 or 866.641.7469, or visit The Venetian website.
<small>Mask Photo: Brian Jones, Las Vegas News Bureau</small>
