Las Vegas Weekly

July 2, 2008 · 9:43 AM

Fun facts as Phantom enters third year at Venetian

By Robin Leach

The Phantom cast, out of those $4.25-million costumes, celebrating the show's second birthday.

Photo: Jacob Andzrzejczak

Last week, Luxe Life reported on the cast and crew celebration of the second anniversary of Phantom – Las Vegas Spectacular at The Venetian. We didn’t have time on deadline -– or the space-- to go digging for the fun facts of the 24-month run, and you all know how I love those wacky stats.

In all, they’ve performed the 95-minute show exactly 930 times in the $40-million Venetian theater. To stage it cost an additional $35 million, for the original spectacular sets, visual effects and of course the breathtaking falling chandelier experience! Technicians have racked up 3,536 hours in maintaining the elaborate disintegrating chandelier and its safety riggings. It alone cost $5 million and took six months to construct with its 29,444 individual crystals weighing 2,000 pounds, with the nickname “Maria.” More than 30 winches are used to operate it.

Since opening on June 24, 2006, the actress/singers portraying Christine have made 10,230 costume changes. There are 11 costume changes each show for ‘Christine. It’s taken almost 1,000 hours alone for the Phantom’s makeup! Total cost of all the 500 costumes in the show ran $4.25 million –- and that includes the wardrobes for the 80 life-size mannequins in the opera boxes and the 22 mannequins on the “Masquerade” staircase.

The total number of cast, crew and orchestra members is 142, with 41 of them being in the cast. There are 250 automated effects in each show and 222 candles that rise up in the Phantom’s lair. As you know the number of intermissions in the Vegas spectacular total absolutely zero!!! But most important of all is that some 100 million people worldwide have seen a staged version of the musical since Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber created it!

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