UK-based theatre company, The Really Useful Group (RUG) and US-based live entertainment producer, Clear Channel Entertainment (CCE), have announced joint, £19m production plans to put Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera on show in Las Vegas.

The aim is to produce a 90-minute version of the award-winning musical and make it a permanent installation at the Venetian hotel and casino by spring 2006.

Directed by Harold Prince, The Phantom of the Opera would be performed in a custom-built, $25m (£13.6m) theatre at the Venetian hotel.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: “This is an exciting development in Phantom’s long life. I am looking forward to again with Hal Prince on this special production for Las Vegas.”

The Venetian already hosts the Guggenheim-Hermitage Museum and the arrival of the musical is at the centre of its efforts to strengthen its entertainment offerings.

Sheldon Adelson, chair of Las Vegas Sands, owner of the Venetian, said: “The Phantom of the Opera will boast a cast of 46 and a groundbreaking series of special effects – including an onstage lake and an exploding replica of the Paris Opera House chandelier.”

More than 58 million people have seen The Phantom of the Opera since it premiered in London in 1986. The musical, which has played in 110 cities, has so far grossed more than $3bn (£1.62bn) worldwide. Details: www.venetian.com