The schedule for "Phantom: Las Vegas Spectacular" is becoming as nimble as the show's namesake.
Producers are tweaking the schedule for "Phantom," with the changes to take effect Sept. 12, when the show will be entering its fourth month at its $40 million theater at the Venetian. The new schedule has performances set for Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 7 and 10 p.m., Fridays and Sundays 7 p.m. only, dark Wednesday. The show is currently dark on Tuesdays.
The pacing of the performances, with the midweek dark day, will mean that those who play the dually casted roles of the Phantom (Brent Barrett and Anthony Crivello) and Christine (Sierra Boggess and Elizabeth Loycano) to have consecutive days off. But they pay the price with back-to-back performances the night before they take that time off.
More intriguing is talk that "Phantom" producers are also strongly considering weekend matinee performances beginning in mid-October, possibly a 5 p.m. show on Sundays and a 6 p.m. on Saturdays. Word is that ticket sales for the 10 p.m. shows have been sluggish, and slipping in a couple of weekend matinees could boost the numbers for visitors who want to start the night, rather than end it, with the Phantom.
NoteMart
At the risk of making a big production out of this, the monthly "Composers' Showcase" at Suede continues to be one of the city's coolest hangouts. Composers setting up behind the piano Sunday night were Michael Brennan ("Mamma Mia!" and "Avenue Q,") Wayne Green ("Mamma Mia"), Richard Oberacker ("Ka"), Keith Thompson ("Hairspray," "Mamma Mia!") and Vita Corimbi ("Menopause the Musical"). The vocalists included the leads of two of the Strip's biggest shows - Barrett and Carol Linnea Johnson of "Mamma Mia!," which was also represented by Rick Pessagno, Elizabeth Share and Lisa Richard. These are held the third Sunday of every month and there is no cover
The dew point? I was taught, don't point: Joining the KLAS Channel 8 Eyewitness News team is meteorologist Gina Cancelliere, who is moving to Vegas from CN8 in Philadelphia, where she was the lead meteorologist for the city's 24-hour news channel. She will be the primary weather anchor of the 4, 4:30, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts. "We're delighted to have someone of Gina's caliber join our team," KLAS Vice President of News Bob Stoldal said in a statement. "Gina brings with her a solid understanding of meteorology, and she will put it to work forecasting the complex weather systems that impact our valley." Also in the statement, a literary version of a warm front, Cancelliere says, "I'm absolutely thrilled! I couldn't be happier joining the team at Channel 8, and I look forward to forecasting the weather for Southern Nevada"
Nevada valet theater: As I waited for the valet to deliver the FabMobile following Jon Secada's VIP concert at Wynn Las Vegas on Saturday night, I noticed a guy standing next to me who looked awfully familiar. I took a shot - "Are you a comic? An actor?" - and demurred when I realized it was Las Vegas Hilton entertainment head Eric D'Richards, who also took in Secada's spirited performance as part of Wynn's "Summer of the Senses" series for VIPs and high rollers. And why might a member of the LV Hilton be in attendance at a private Secada show? Probably because the Hilton is looking at Secada for a more permanent gig to fill in dates at its showroom while Barry Manilow convalesces after undergoing hip surgery. That'd be my semi-educated supposition; Secada is booked at the Hilton for a single show on Sept. 15
Hung up at the traffic light on Sahara Avenue and Las Vegas Boulevard, I spotted a fitting piece of structural damage on the building that was once home to Ivana Trump's Las Vegas high-rise headquarters (and before that, the great Holy Cow Brew Pub). One of the black-and-lavender painted cosmetic posts has been damaged (as if someone tumbled into the piece and crushed it). It hasn't been repaired; rather, four orange pylons have been placed around the fractured piece and it just sits. (All inquiries about purchasing the property can be made by calling 714-865-6131)
One of the more successful matches in Vegas entertainment in recent history ends Sunday when Rita Rudner stages her final performance at New York-New York. She's off to Harrah's where she'll split time with Wayne Newton in the soon-to-be-renamed Clint Holmes Theatre
Sunday's item about the Friday night jazz shows at the Downtown Coffee Company should have specified the business's address: 231 S. Third St., on the corner of Bridger
We ask, does this mean to indicate the ring finger? Or the middle finger of an impatient driver? A plate spotted by a contributor to All Things Vanity reads 3RDFNGR.
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