‘Phantom’ : Shrine Transformed by the Opening Gala for ‘Opera’

The Ahmanson Theatre’s production of “The Phantom of the Opera” seemed to have more benefit performances than it did trapdoors, but it officially arrived Wednesday with a gala, invitation-only opening-night celebration. And the after party, held at the Shrine Auditorium, was a definite contender for Bash of the Year.

With sponsorship dollars from American Express Gold Card, party planners McNabb & Associates of New York transformed the Shrine by covering the entire orchestra level with platforms and setting up dinner tables. The cavernous room was changed into a replica of the Paris Opera House (but did the opera house have a band that played “Tequila,” or a disco floor?).

Among the crowd at the show and the party were Cybill Shepherd, Tom Selleck and wife Jillie Mack, Victoria Principal, Morgan Fairchild, Patrick Swayze, Richard Chamberlain, Sammy Davis Jr., John Lithgow, Tony Perkins and Berry Berenson, Gene Kelly, Roddy McDowall and Valerie Harper.

They--and 1,250 others--ate seafood, chicken, lamb and salads and soaked up Victorian atmosphere while waiting for the cast members to struggle out of their makeup and make the trip to the Shrine. “Phantom” star Dale Kristien arrived at the party with television star Peter Reckell, but it was the appearance of Michael Crawford (the peripatetic, priapic and chic Phantom himself) that brought the guests to their feet in a standing ovation.

On and on went the party, which began about 10 p.m. and continued strong through the night. By 2 a.m., the band was gone, but the stage was still packed with cast and guests dancing to tapes of the Village People, Sheila E., and Tone-Loc. And, judging from the crowd of admiring women surrounding Michael Crawford, Hollywood now has its newest, unlikeliest sex symbol since Ron Perlman quoted Shakespeare in the sewers in “Beauty and the Beast.”