I totally agree with Ronald on this one. I've not been a Lloyd Weber fan since I was a tiny Musical Theater freak in High School. (Yeah, I was well liked.) But there was a certain magic when I saw The Phantom of the Opera for the first time on Broadway.
The magic still remains when you walk into the Phantom theater at The Venetian. And the re-imagined staging with it's eye popping fire works are pretty impressive.
BUT.....it doesn't keep ( the magic I mean) nor does it hide the fact that a few of the cast members seem to be "phoning it in." A backstage term for "not really trying." The night i saw "Phantom" the acting seemed particularly strained. My thing is that....if you're surrounded by the special effects and sets and costumes, basically immersed in a world that is "Phantom" then what's the struggle to create a convincing character to an audience that's paying upwards of a $100 dollars a seat.....I've seen better performances over at "Tony and Tina's Wedding." (ohhhhhh, snap!)
All and all, it's an OK show, and your out of town friends with love it as an alternative to Cirque Du Soliel. But in this humble critic's opinion....the carpet doesn't match the drapes.