Behind-The-Scenes Of 'Phantom Of The Opera'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A reinvented Phantom of the Opera opens Friday in Minneapolis. The Orpheum Theatre will host the show through Jan. 5.
The Phantom of the Opera has been on Broadway for 25 years, but this version was first seen in England last year.
The songs remain the same, but this Cameron Mackintosh production of The Phantom features updated staging and scenic design.
"The show requires 21 trucks to travel all of the gear, that's including all of the sound equipment, lighting equipment, scenery, costumes, props and hair," said Eric Sprosty, production stage manager.
It takes a lot to run the show -- 115 people travel with the production. Minneapolis is the second stop of the U.S. tour. And 80 to 100 local stagehands and musicians are hired in each city.
"I think that Minneapolis audiences are going to be in for a real treat, when they come to see this one," said Scott Ambler, choreographer. "Its got all the buttons the original Phantom has and that the audience wants to see, but we've told it in a little bit of a darker, grittier way."
Of course, the story of the Phantom is set in an opera house, but this production allows the audience to see that theater in a new way, thanks to technology.
"You get underneath it, you get above it, you get onto a fly-floor, you wiz round the back of the sets, you go down a corridor into a dressing room, so we sort of covering the theater in all angles," said Laurence Connor, director of the show.
And speaking of technology, the famous chandelier has been updated with more dramatic effects.
