By JOANNE BUTTERFIEL
Thousands of tickets are still available for the Salt Lake City debut performance of the Broadway production, The Phantom of the Opera. The production opens tonight at the Capitol Theatre.
Bruce Granath, marketing director for Space Agency, said by the time the show ends on July 13, a quarter of a million people will have had the chance to see this production of The Phantom of the Opera.
This is the first time the production has come to Salt Lake City, Granath said.
Granath said the process of getting this production to come to Utah has been long and complicated.
'We spent nearly one quarter of a million dollars to remodel the theater,' he said.
Steel supports had to be put in the building to hold the chandelier and other parts of the set.
The theater also needed to be available for an extended period of time, Granath said. He said they have spent several years working with Ballet West and other organizations to ensure the theatre would be open for the 16 weeks The Phantom of the Opera will be in Salt Lake.
Granath said the producers also have to believe there will be enough interest among the people in that area.
Danielle Rasmussen, a sophomore from Highland, Utah, saw the production in January in Arizona. She said her favorite part of the performance is that it combined the theater and music together into one huge, very powerful performance.
Utah residents are not the only ones who will be attending performances of this production.
Jennifer Schumann, a junior from American Falls, Idaho, majoring in human development, said her family is coming from parts of Idaho and Arizona to see this production. She also saw the production in Arizona last year and is excited to see the show again.
'I like this production because of the fantastic sets, the special effects used during the performance and the quality of the performances by the actors and actresses,' Schumann said.
Granath said 100 people make up the cast and crew for The Phantom of the Opera. He said these people come from all over the United States, from auditions such as the ones being held in Salt Lake on Thursday. These auditions are open to the public.
During auditions for the production of Les Miserables, a BYU graduate was picked up and she is now performing on Broadway, Granath said.
Thomas James O'Leary heads the cast for this production as The Phantom, with Diane Fratantoni as the young soprano, Christine and John Schroeder as Raoul. Susan Facer, a BYU graduate, will perform as Christine at certain performances.
Based on the novel, 'The Phantom of the Opera' by Gaston Leroux, this musical tells the story of the hideously deformed Phantom who lurks beneath the stage of the Paris Opera, exercising a reign of terror over all its occupants. He falls instantly in love with the young soprano Christine, devoting himself to creating a new star for the Paris Opera by nurturing her extraordinary talents by employing all the skills at his disposal.
Tickets for The Phantom of the Opera are still available at the Capitol Theatre box office and all Albertson's ArtTix locations. Ticket prices range from $26.50 to $71.50. Granath said there are hundreds of tickets still available for the performances on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week. More information is available by calling (801) 355-ARTS.