Unlike her last Las Vegas extravaganza “A New Day,” Celine Dion’s new show in the Caesars Palace theater created just for her is “all about the songs.”
Her previous five-year gig at the Colosseum broke sales records with its wild Cirque du Soleil-style theatrics. This time around, after a world tour and the addition of babies Nelson and Eddy to her family, she’s back for three years singing a set list of varied tunes backed by a 31-piece orchestra.
| ONSTAGE |
| Celine Dion |
| » Where: Colosseum, Caesars Palace, 3570 Las Vegas Blvd., Las Vegas |
| » When: 7:30 p.m. varied days; tickets through Aug. 14 on sale now; tickets for December and January on sale March 19 |
| » Info: $55 to $250, 877-423-5463; ticketmaster.com |
With focus on her five-octave voice, the 100-minute show, which opened Tuesday, is a delight from start to finish.
She performs her huge power ballads, beginning with “Where Does My Heart Beat Now,” “Because You Loved Me” and “My Heart Will Go On.” But in between, she mixes jazz, pop hits from the 1970s, movie themes, a lullaby, achingly sad songs, a Michael Jackson tribute, and, to top things off, a guest duet with none other than Stevie Wonder — well, a hologram of him.
There’s not a dull moment in the gorgeous production, created by Dion, her husband, Rene Angelil, and director Ken Ehrlich. Videos and colorful lighting artfully fill the stage, as do the musicians, who are poised on a raised platform behind the singer throughout the show.
Amazingly, the seamless pace doesn’t flag even when Dion’s offstage changing costumes. At various points, violinist Jean-Seb Carre solos; vocalist Barnev Valsaint and the horn section do a great version of “Spinning Wheel”; and an orchestral score (set against cool graphics reminiscent of a film title sequence) leads into Dion’s nifty renditions of James Bond themes: “Goldfinger,” “Nobody Does It Better” and “Live and Let Die.”
The cello trio — Irina Chirkova, Lindsey Springer, Raymond Sicam III — playing Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” and “Beat It” provide the intro for Dion’s version of “Ben” and “Man in the Mirror.” During this segment, the singer sparkles in a jacket and pants; in the rest of the show, she looks great in a series of elegant gowns.
One of the most fun technical tricks is when Dion, standing in the audience, does a duet with a huge screen version of herself on “How Do You Keep the Music Playing.” But she tops it with the next number, when the real Wonder seems to magically appear at the piano, and she joins him in “Overjoyed.”
Equally touching are Janis Ian’s classic lament “At Seventeen” in which she’s accompanied by guitarist Andre Coutu; the Jacques Brel tune “Ne Me Quitte Pas” (“If You Go Away”) and the crescendo-laden “All By Myself.”
That warm feeling emanates from the show’s very first number, when Dion opens with Journey’s “Open Arms.” That welcoming sentiment will undoubtedly continue as Las Vegas’ quintessential headliner continues her royal reign on the strip.
Editor’s note: Dion’s Las Vegas show is produced by AEG, a subsidiary of the Anschutz Co., which also owns The Washington Examiner.
