THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250850
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 148 lines
WITH ONE unexpected booking, Chrysler Hall is stepping into the realm of big-league theater. ``The Phantom of the Opera,'' the REAL one, the Andrew Lloyd Webber one, is coming to Norfolk for an unprecedented four- to six-week engagement.
The show will open Nov. 30, 1995, and will be the longest run in the history of local theater. It is also a sure bet to break all previous box office records for a local theater attraction.
``I can tell you that the City Council is thrilled, really thrilled about this,'' Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim said at a press conference Wednesday at Chrysler Hall. ``It will make us the `destination city' for theater in this region. We will be one of only six cities to host `Phantom of the Opera' in the United States in 1995.''
The mayor has figures to boost his enthusiasm. He said: ``We expect from $4 million to $6 million in total box office sales from the run. That would mean $450,000 in admission taxes alone to the city, plus millions to restaurants and hotels.''
Bill Miller, representing Cameron Mackintosh and the Really Useful Co., which produced the show originally in London and New York, flew to Norfolk for the announcement. ``This means the World Series of theater is coming to Norfolk,'' Miller said. ``This entire city is going to be turned on its heels by this show and this run. The economic impact has been tremendous in every city it has played. We estimate that for every dollar in ticket sales, $2.75 can be generated in the local economy.''
He estimates that the show will stimulate $15 million in the economy before the run is completed.
The show is set for a four-week run with an option to hold over for two additional weeks. ``We fully expect that we will have a five- or six-week run in Norfolk,'' Miller said. ``That has happened in all other cities.''
Don't rush to the box office, though; tickets won't be available until spring. Prices will probably range from $15 to $60. Subscribers to the Chrysler Hall's five-show Broadway Series will get the first chance for ``Phantom'' tickets when those subscriptions are marketed in January. Individual tickets for ``Phantom'' will go on sale March 1, 1995.
But is this the real ``Phantom of the Opera''? Several versions of the 18th century melodrama, under the title ``Phantom of the Opera,'' have been booked in Hampton Roads in past theater seasons. They used period opera music and the same plot, based on the classic novel by Gaston Leroux, about a hideously deformed creature who lurks beneath the stage of the Paris Opera, emerging to spread terror.
Those bookings capitalized on the hit status of the Broadway version. The title is in the public domain, and the copy-cat versions have confused some ticket buyers.
The version arriving here is the genuine article, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a chandelier plummeting from ceiling to stage. In Lloyd Webber's version, the Phantom falls in love with a young soprano and the story becomes a romance.
The performers to appear in Norfolk were not announced. Nor was the weekly running schedule.
The company to play Norfolk is one of four in the United States and is the newest. It premiered in Seattle in December 1992 and recouped its $10 million production costs in just 30 weeks. Currently, it has grossed $79 million.
Miller said that, unlike in some other cities, the Chrysler Hall theater will not need extensive remodeling or reconstruction to house ``Phantom.'' In Los Angeles, for example, the ``Phantom'' venue was closed for six months for remodeling.
``The theater here is generally fine for our needs,'' he said. ``We will have some ceiling strengthening to house the chandelier. There will be some proscenium enhancement to incorporate the opera house scene, which opens Act II - but nothing major. It has been the situation, in other cities, that the theater had to adjust to the show, not the show to the hall.'' It is clear, though, that even on nights that ``Phantom'' takes a break, it will be impossible for any other acts to use the theater. The complex set could not be removed to accommodate the symphony or other bookings.
William H. Luther, director of civic facilities, said arts groups had been encouraged to make alternative bookings in Harrison Opera House.
Robert W. Cross, general manager of Virginia Symphony, said that the orchestra was ``searching out the best local hall'' for its performances of Handel's ``Messiah'' and the Holiday Pops concert. He said he was not sure that Harrison Opera House was the best alternative and that all possibilities are being considered. There were grumblings from the Old Dominion University Ballet, which annually stages ``The Nutcracker'' in the hall. ``This will cause a substantial financial loss to us, and we have had the dates reserved years in advance,'' said Istvan Ament, the company's director. ``It represents a case of Chrysler Hall going back on its word. I realize that this is a smart financial decision on the part of the hall, but I still think it may have been a hasty decision. Many people wonder if Norfolk will support a single show for that length of time. I'm not complaining, because the city has been very kind to us, but after all, we have been the regular customers since 1976 and the symphony before that.''
Harrison Opera House, the likely substitute house, seats just 1,700 while Chrysler Hall seats 2,100. Ament said that his company sold out Chrysler Hall often, especially for student performances. ``Without those extra seats, we will be in financial trouble,'' he said. ``An arts group, such as ourselves, could be ruined by one year of this.''
LUTHER SAID THE RATE charged for a week of a non-Broadway series is a mere $46,000, a reduced rate given to local renters. ``That figure is what the city would lose from the local bookings (that would normally use the theater) - compared to the millions that can be made,'' he said. ``We've met with the arts council, and we think that Harrison Opera House provides a perfect alternative for them. This move is not unprecedented. When `Sound of Music' was booked here, we had to preempt a date for the symphony. An agreement was reached.''
That show, which starred Marie Osmond, took in more than $500,000 for its one-week booking at Chrysler Hall.
The Cameron Mackintosh office is quick to trot out amazing success stories in other cities. For example, in Denver, $11 million in tickets were sold, with a local impact of $24 million. In Fort Lauderdale, there were $12 million in ticket sales with an economic impact of $26 million. In Atlanta, there were $8.2 million in tickets with $18 million added to the economy.
Nick Litrenta, president of Baci Management Inc., which is producing the current Broadway series at Chrysler Hall and will co-produce the local booking of ``Phantom,'' said: ``We will market aggressively in other cities. We hope to draw strongly from Richmond and eastern North Carolina. We'll hope to draw from Raleigh also.''
``Phantom of the Opera'' opened in London in 1986. Its Broadway opening was Jan. 26, 1988. That show, starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, went on to win seven Tony Awards.
The ``Phantom'' press conference was staged beneath Chrysler Hall's massive chandelier on the Dress Circle foyer. No one pointed out the symbolism; after all, it's not time, not for more than a year, for any chandeliers to fall in that hall. ILLUSTRATION: ``PHANTOM'' FACTS
WHEN: Nov. 30, 1995. A four-week run is scheduled, but it could
extend to six weeks.
WHERE: Chrysler Hall in Norfolk
TICKETS: Estimated prices are $15 to $60. Those subscribing to
Chrysler Hall's Broadway Series will have the first chance at them,
with subscriptions selling in January (estimated at $119 to $212 for
the five-show season). Tickets for ``Phantom'' only will go on sale
in March.
HOW BIG IS IT: About 80 members of the cast, crew and orchestra
travel with the show. The elaborate set weighs 10 tons; the
plummeting chandelier alone weighs 1,000 pounds. The set travels in
20 tractor-trailer trucks and takes 2 1/2 weeks to assemble (such a
show usually needs three trucks and sets up in five to 15 hours). It
costs $1 million to move to each city.
The show could generate $5 million in ticket sales here, with an
estimated $15 million in ancillary income (restaurants, hotels,
parking fees, etc.). But it costs $600,000 a week to stage.
FOR INFORMATION: Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to
Phantom Tickets, P.O. Box 3632, Norfolk, Va. 23514. Or call 622-0822
or 441-2764.
by CNB