I'm glad this thread has been revived. CATSNY revival's "amateurs" comment made me smile -- for those non-Phans on the board, it's Piangi's comment on the new managers at the beginning of POTO.
The new US tour chandelier is really cool, except that it's already up at the beginning of the show. While I liked the new tour, eliminating the chandelier's rise gets rid of one of the major goosebump moments in the show. On the other hand, the chandelier's fall is spectacular. (Ignore those rumors that it doesn't fall in the new version). I shrieked when it came down, just as I did at the Las Vegas production. I suspect that the main reason the Las Vegas production had the Phantom say, "Bring down the chandelier" was to warn people it was coming. BTW, the Las Vegas production placed the chandelier crash at the end, as in the 2004 movie -- there was no intermission to allow it to fall at the end of Act I.
Audrey, one of the insane "Phans" on the board
Audrey, the Phantom Phanatic, who nonetheless would rather be Jean Valjean, who knew how to make lemonade out of lemons.