THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 22, 1995 TAG: 9511220493
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE MAYFIELD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
There's a ``Phantom'' in town, but he might more aptly be named ``Mr. Moneybags.''
``The Phantom of the Opera,'' which begins a seven-week run Thursday at Chrysler Hall, has hoteliers, restaurateurs and merchants throughout Hampton Roads singing a hopeful tune.
And no wonder. Nearly everywhere ``Phantom'' has played in its nine-year, 60-stop global run, its host cities have reaped a bonanza of spending by the show's large and enthusiastic audiences.
The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a deformed loner who lurks beneath the stage of the Paris Opera has grossed more than $1.5 billion in ticket sales alone. Chip in another $3 billion in spillover spending by theater-goers on everything from meals to souvenirs, and it all adds up to a massive economic impact worldwide, ``Phantom'' promoters say.
At its current box-office rate, ``Phantom'' will soon outpace the musical ``Cats'' as the biggest-grossing theater production of all time.
For Norfolk, which has been aggressively trying to spruce up its image as a tourism draw, ``Phantom'' couldn't have arrived at a better time.
``The excitement in this area that's surrounding the show has been wonderful,'' said Cynthia Carter-West, who oversees promotions for Chrysler Hall and five other city-owned attractions.
Norfolk hosts the Virginia premiere for ``Phantom,'' and never has such a high-powered theater production visited the region for so long. Carter-West and other city officials say it could inject tens of millions of dollars into the local economy - a large share of it in the lodging, restaurant and retailing businesses.
They point to other cities where ``Phantom'' has played in recent years as evidence. In Denver, for instance, ticket sales topped $10 million and an estimated $22 million more was spread around town by ticket buyers. In St. Paul, Minn., the total estimated economic impact ofthe show was almost $24 million.
Perhaps the most important aspect of the show's run in Norfolk is that it will draw thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of visitors to the city for the first time. Carter-West said she has booked groups from as far away as Princeton, W.Va. Individuals from as far off as Florida have bought tickets, she said.
This could lead to many more millions of dollars in spending over the years from visitors who return to see more of the region's attractions.
For now, however, people connected with the show are consumed with shorter-term matters. More than 50 Norfolk performances are in the offing and as many as 150,000 theater-goers to accommodate downtown before the local run ends Jan. 6. Already, 65 percent of all tickets for the local run, priced from $16.50 to $66.50, have been sold.
``All the spin that everyone's putting on this - that there's a big ripple effect on the economy - we're seeing that already,'' said Ken Hawkins, sales and marketing director for the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.
The Marriott has been advertising in Richmond, Charlottesville and several North Carolina markets a $189 package for two that includes theater tickets, a room, and trolley transportation to and from the theater.
Hawkins said his downtown hotel has booked close to 2000 extra ``room nights'' so far in response to the offer. That has pushed the hotel's expected occupancy rate up 10 to 15 percentage points during the period, he said. About 60 percent of the Marriott's ``Phantom'' package buyers are from North Carolina. ``Phantom'' hasn't yet played in that state.
``It comes at a great time for us,'' Hawkins said of the response, ``because this is normally one of our slower periods. The problem is: We're wondering how we can top this next year.''
The Marriott has been unusually successful in capitalizing on the draw of ``Phantom,'' but others are seeing a payoff too.
The Holiday Inn-Olde Towne Waterfront in Portsmouth has had a ``great'' response to its $295 New Year's Eve deluxe ``Phantom'' package, said Jan Morrison, assistant general manager. ``We had people book way back in August,'' she said.
Response to a somewhat less elaborate $235 package available for four other dates hasn't been as strong, Morrison said. But she expected that as tickets become scarce, those packages will be snapped up as well.
Norfolk restaurateurs also hope to cash in on ``Phantom.''
Reggie's British Pub at Norfolk's Waterside is offering 20 percent discounts on meals to ``Phantom'' ticket holders. But it's expecting as much, if not more, of a boost from cast and crew members, who will receive a combined $51,668 in local living expenses while they're in town. Reggie's offers them 20 percent off as well.
``Some of the crew has already been in,'' Dawn Wheeler, Reggie's assistant manager, said Tuesday. ``We had eight or nine in for lunch yesterday.''
One of the restaurant's appeals to the crew, she said, is its large variety of beers on tap.
Have the crew members partaken? ``I can't say,'' Wheeler said. ``After all, they were on lunch break.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color staff illustration by Robert Voros/ The Virginian Pilot
Color photo from "The Phantom"
KEYWORDS: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA REVENUE BUSINESS
by CNB