‘Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular’

Is 22 years long enough to go from "pop" to "classic"?

"Phantom -- The Las Vegas Spectacular" trimmed quite a bit of running time from Andrew Lloyd Webber's blockbuster "Phantom of the Opera" when it launched in 2006. It already had shed a lot of baggage along the way.

"Phantom" still sells too many tickets to be lumped in with a Flock of Seagulls haircut or Don Johnson's "Miami Vice" suit. But in the 20 years between its London debut and The Venetian's relaunch in June 2006, it had gone from phenomenon -- perhaps the last Broadway show to launch a true craze -- to a show for the rubes, foreign tourists and people who still watch soap operas.

Along the way, Lloyd Webber also gave up the dream of his own themed casino. But he also rode out the wave of backlash; the years when anyone who sat through five or six weddings torturing people with "All I Ask Of You" wanted to drag him out back and stomp him.

The composer since has discovered the vast realm of indifference. "The Woman in White," his most recent musical, lasted four months on Broadway in 2005. Now he does what he must: British TV talent contests, guest shots on "American Idol" and, most desperate of all, a "Phantom" sequel. "Phantom: Love Never Dies" may open simultaneously in London, New York and Asia at the end of this year. It takes up 10 years later and finds the Phantom haunting Coney Island.

Hoo boy.

This surely will renew interest in the original, but the haters will come out again and the Vegas "Phantom" will be dragged into the firefight after an almost low-key existence. It was a new show, but really an old one, and so the easiest consumer decision on the Strip: If you don't already love or hate it, here's a top-notch new version to reassess with an open mind.

And when you do, you find an unabashed melodrama (by its original definition) that dares to take itself seriously and unfolds with an intensity rare for a city where entertainment is mostly laughs or eye candy. No matter what you think of "Phantom" as a creative work, no one could walk away from this production thinking it less than first-rate, from the live orchestra to the overqualified casting of even the smallest roles.

Maria Bjornson's original production design -- which elevated the project by several stories -- has been extended into the audience by popular architect David Rockwell. Victorian mannequins stare down from overhead skyboxes, and the self-assembly of the mega-humongous chandelier makes for the grandest opening of any show on the Strip.

The haunted house atmosphere perfectly fits the Phantom as embodied by Anthony Crivello. Once one of two leads splitting up the schedule, he is now the star of all eight weekly performances, and works beyond the script to reconnect the character back to his pre-1986 life as a twisted genius who occasionally frightened people.

Crivello applies a bit of fine-grain sandpaper to the role remembered for Michael Crawford's romantic polish. His climactic showdown with the other two members of his romantic triangle summons the fury of Lon Chaney's silent-movie icon (which many fans of the musical likely know only as an image).

Original director Hal Prince returned to give this production a careful pruning, which makes it the rare Broadway-to-Vegas title to improve with a shorter running time. A little parody of 1880s opera goes a long way, and no one should miss fewer repetitions of the musical phrases Lloyd Webber used over and over again to get through the exposition.

Granted, most people know the story anyway -- which also helps with under-amplified dialogue or multiple-singing moments blurring the lyrics -- so it wasn't hard to trim the details. The new owners of Paris Opera House learn they're really working for the "opera ghost," a "conjurer" and composer who tutors his young ingenue Christine (Kristi Holden) from behind her dressing room mirror. When they stop obeying him, all hell breaks loose.

Andrew Ragone is given enough substance to keep the story in balance as the young rival for Christine's affections. Holden has a beautiful singing voice, but no real character or chemistry shines through before the final showdown. The script doesn't give her much to work with, and she doesn't follow Crivello into that resonant space between the lines.

But subtlety in this work is restricted to the visual details. "Phantom" is over the top in every other way, so it makes perfect sense it has found such a good home on the Strip.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.