I saw Phantom at the Venetian Hotel on October 21/09 and it was absolutely spectacular. I ordered my tickets 6 weeks in advance and picked them up at the Will Call counter. The seats I had were 11 rows front and center, right beneath the massive chandelier. The theater is a marvel to behold. The orchestra was incredibly powerful and beautiful. Everything thing about Phantom will blow your mind. It is a must-see event if you are visiting Vegas. I have seem Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre in Toronto years ago, but Phantom in Vegas is so much to behold. The sets are beautiful, the singing is incredible and the costumes will wow you. See Phantom if you can. I don't think there is a bad seat in the house, but if you can manage tickets in the "golden circle" you will not be disappointed.

I have always been fasinated with Phantom and this version does it much justice. Beautiful form the beginning. The set, the singing, the actors, everything was fantastic. Both I and my partner thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to anyone visiting Vegas. Tip: get your tickets at tix4tonight, up to 50% off.

Before I review this I'd like to say I had never seen Phantom of the Opera in a theater before- only the movie. So I really don't have anything to compare it to.

I went on a Saturday for the 7 o'clock show and was surprised at how many seats where empty..... I bought a discount ticket for $60 at a discount booth and then upgraded myself to a front row balcony... I could have had 3rd row seats but was too lazy to go down stairs to take advantage of all the empty space down there. For the price I paid I thought the show was definitely worth it and I wouldn't mind seeing it again.

I was most impressed by the lighting effects. I also thought the phantom singer was fabulous and captured precisely how the phantom should sound (very haunting and beautiful)- much better than the film did. I also like the underground water scene much more than the movie version and thought it was breathtaking. During several parts of the performance I got goosebumps (I was really into it for most of the show). This was the highlight of my trip to Vegas! I liked it so much that if we had one more day in Vegas I would probably have gone and watched it again! Judging by the faces of the people streaming out of the theater they were just as happy with the performance as I was and Christine and the Phantom got a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

I did think that they condensed this show to the point where it was hard to understand what was going on unless you where already familiar with the story. And I would have enjoyed it more if the singing was louder I think it would have been more spectacular if they raised the volume for the singers.

Don't miss this show..... worth the 60 bucks!

I've seen Phantom on Broadway and in Chicago a couple of times, and was somewhat reluctantly talked into seeing it in Vegas by my wife. I thought it was absolutely fantasic, and it redefined the presentation of Phantom.

In order to appreciate it for what it is, you need to keep in mind the tradition of the "Vegas Spectacular". When Donn Arden's Jubilee first opened up (and its still playing), the big deal was the sinking of the Titanic and Hercules destroying the temple (I know, now high concept theatre, but stick with me). The staging was the star, along with some bare-breasted showgirls.

In Phantom, they found some singers with the voices and stage presence to handle the load. Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman? No....but these folks are no slouches.

Where the play shines is in the staging. Better than anything you will see in Jubilee, that's for sure. And, its somewhat excessive in terms of the whole "surround the audience" thing. But, that is what works in Vegas. And, it was pulled off without being cheesy, which could have happened. Instead, it came off as being spectacular, which is what I wanted for my money.

Since the theater was designed to house this particular production, the staging gets to be even more fantastic. This is the difference you will notice in a long running Broadway play vs. a touring production. But, the NYC version of Phantom does not come close to this one in terms of the production values.

This production also follows the Vegas 90 minute formula. When I have seen the longer version, it tended to drag in some places. In this incarnation, I was amazed and disappointed that 90 minutes flew by so fast.

You can find discount tix either at the box office (there is some $40 off special) or at one of the Tix 4 Tonite booths around town.

Check it out!