If you walk along Wells street just south of Randolph, you'll see a giant tractor trailer parked near the stage door of the Cadillac Palace Theater. This is one of 17 semis that load and unload the grand set for the "The Phantom of the Opera" tour.
"We're a brand new tour, Chicago is our third stop, we're on performance 35. It's one of the biggest tours on the road right now," said Javon Shuck, Production Stage Manager."
"We're traveling with 17, 53 foot semi tractor trailers. It took us 3 days to load into the theater here so we're glad were here for a few months," he laughed.
Shuck says they have a cast and crew of 80 and hundreds of local stagehands, 1000 costumes, all custom made with intricate beading and stitching.
"This one is the dress our Opera diva Carlotta wears, it weighs 40 pounds. She quick changes out of the outfit in about 30 seconds. They have to heave this over her head. They are all one of a kind works of art, all handmade in shops both in London and in New York. We also have the Phantom's cape. This is hand beaded and he wears four different capes throughout the show." he said.
The real star of the show is the iconic chandelier that hangs high atop the Cadillac Palace Theater.
"It's based on the chandelier at the Paris Opera House, The Palais Garnier. Our chandelier weighs one ton. It travels both up and down, rocks back and forth, it has pyrotechnic effects, it has smoke and lighting affects, it has as much choreography as our ensemble members. It truly is the star of the show," said Shuck.
The menacing yet hauntingly beautiful chandelier has been beguiling audiences for more than 40 years. Shuck says she hasn't changed over the years and just like the Phantom, has its own personality.
"This is the most iconic pieces of scenery in theatrical history. She plays anywhere between the seats and the ceiling. There are special steel decking we install and steel in the ceiling. It's quite the job to bring her here. She's an opera diva," he laughed.
"A couple of months before we arrive, structural engineers come in and go up in the ceiling of every theater and check the steel that is up there to make sure it can support not only the weight, but the kinetic force of the chandelier falling and swinging and doing all the things that it does."
Chicago is the third stop on the new national tour but the sets, the story, the music and costumes are all original designs.
"Phantom of the Opera is Broadway. It's the first Broadway show I ever saw. I saw it when I was 14 years old. I actually saw the first national tour so it's fun to be touring around the country and share it with a new generation."
"It's a lot of show to move around the country. It is grand, it is big. Everything is big, heck, we have a elephant back stage, " he laughed. "The choreography backstage is as intricate as it is on stage. Stuff comes off, we attach it to giant motors, we fly it up, so we can load more scenery in. Everything is grand. It's a big, old fashioned Broadway musical and we're going to hit you with spectacle."
Phantom opened in London's west end in 1986 and on Broadway in 1988 and is its longest running show. It'll be at the Cadillac Palace theater through February 1st. Tickets are available here.
