Thursday, August 26, 2010

Traveling Thursdays: Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 2



Over at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Phantom of the Opera and Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum are two of the major attractions for visitors to Las Vegas.





Like Disneyland, Vegas has a total different look at night when the sun goes down and the magical lights turn on.



The interior of The Venetian is richly detailed and slightly over the top; just what you would expect when Italy and Las Vegas collide.





I’ve seen “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, but even that amazing production is outdone by the Las Vegas version. The music, the sets, and the moving story still brought chills the second time that I watched the show. If you’ve seen the movie, please don’t let that deter you from seeing the theater production!

Even the theater itself will cause your jaw to drop; decked out like a vintage playhouse, “dummies” populate the sideseat, dressed in historic era-appropriate clothing.







Falling overhead at a speed of 35 mph, this combined set of 4 chandeliers would be enough to cause even the bravest theatergoer to invest in a set of Depends!



For the Las Vegas production, even the Phantom’s makeup was revisited. With a new set of facial molds, the final result is stunning, as shown here by The Phantom himself, Anthony Crivello. Discussing the new molds, Crivello is having the final remnants of his Phantom “face” removed before he goes home after his performance.







Quite a setup of computers and monitors is required for precision accuracy with the lighting and props for “Phantom of the Opera” in Las Vegas:



Over at Madame Tussaud’s, you can see two versions of Elvis; young and handsome, or older and slightly paunchy. Take your pick!





Apparently Criss Angel is one of the most reviled people in Las Vegas; Cirque du Soleil is just waiting for his contract to expire so that they can remove their name from his show. Still, he is one of the figures at Tussaud’s.



Who needs the egotistical Criss Angel when you can have the Rat Pack?







You haven’t heard the last from Sin City. More to come in the future!

See more Las Vegas photos at my main website.

6 comments:

Connie Moreno said...

Great post! I too, saw Phantom on Broadway in New York AND at the OCPAC - both were excellent. And then I saw it in Vegas. Wow, equally stunning! I want to see it again and again. You got some great behind the scenes info here to share.

Major Pepperidge said...

Everybody knows that Joey Bishop was the real talent in the Rat Pack.

Katella Gate said...

Joey Bishop ... snicker.

G said...

We enjoy staying at the Venetian. We are Blue Man crazy, can't see that show enough. BTW, does anyone remember when Regis was Joey Bishop's sidekick in the early 60's?

Anonymous said...

The Venetian is GORGEOUS!! One of my favorite Vegas hotels. I was there last August to see Joan (Rivers).

Skinny Arbuckle said...

great vegas info! thanks.