Phantom of the Opera...Vegas 5-day festival! Hal Prince to attend...

"Phans" will be descending on the Vegas strip tonight as a 5-day tribute to the long-running hit musical - "Phantom of the Opera" - kicks off!

The thrilling celebration includes a Masquerade Ball at the Venetian at St. Mark's Square.

According to die-hard stage-musical-lovers, a "phan" is one who has attended the "Phantom" dozens - maybe hundreds - of times and is totally obssessed with all the scintillating dramatic details of the ill-fated love story.

During the course of the five-day theatrical adventure - every morning and afternoon of each day, in fact - participants will indulge in myriad aspects of the musical - from the artistry of the makeup,  to one-on-one meetings with the cast, and actual tours of the theatre and "chandelier".

At the close of every magical day, there will be a performance of  "Phantom of the Opera", too.

Honorary guest - Hal Prince (director/Producer) - will address fans at the opening ceremonies, too.

Sounds phantastic, doesn't it?

Info:  www.PhantomLasVegas.com

http://www.julianayrs.com

David Geffen Playhouse...Family Fun Day packed to rafters! A run-away success...

Today when I cruised around the West Hollywood Book Fair, I ran smack dab into the booth for the David Geffen Playhouse.



One of the organizers for "Family Fun Day" - which I penned a post on this past week - excitedly informed me the casual get-together for kids and parents ended up being an overwhelming run-away success!



In fact - the turn out was so large - the Geffen staff got taken by surprise!



"Over 800 hundred people showed up," the jovial woman noted ecstatically.



In fact, the Geffen playhouse was forced to schedule additional performances, to ensure no one was left out in the cold!



"People were waiting in line, so we felt badly about turning them away."



Though not originally planned, the Los Angeles Ballet - for instance - ended up giving four performances to full houses throughout the course of the day.



As I noted in my post a few days ago, The David Geffen Playhouse invited parents and their children to attend a celebratory preview of the upcoming "Saturday Scene" season.



"Saturday Scene" is a weekly morning event that introduces kids to the magic of live theater and musical entertainment by experiencing an age-appropriate Saturday Scene production!



The program provides an interactive journey into the world of music, dance puppetry and storytelling and is appropriate for kids aged 2 - 12.



At the "Free Event" yesterday, parents were able to take a sneak peak at a sampling of the live theatre and musical entertainment that will be part of the upcoming Saturday Scene Season.



At the open house on Saturday, fun activities included performances by the "Disney Radio" street team.



And, there was also a costume photo booth.



The Geffen's gracious sponsors - Gelson's & Sweet Leaf - provided free food and refreshments to the theatre enthusiasts who turned up with their young ones in tow.



In addition to the Ballet Performances, on the main stage there were a handful of performances by popular stage acts like Melissa Green, Darryl Van Leer, Will and Co, Shushybye Dream Band and Frog Belly Rat Bone.



Undoubtedly - judging by the turn-out anyway - a number of parents are wise to the fact children need to be exposed to the theatre arts at a young age!



For those of you who were unable to attend the open house yesterday, but who are still interested in the Saturday morning programs, contact the staff at the Geffen Playhouse for more details about the upcoming season.



See 'ya there this fall, eh?



Register: Education@GeffenPlayhouse.com



Website: http://geffenplayhouse.com/