Her Day Has Come

Friday, March 21, 2003 | 8:34 a.m.

What: "A New Day."

When: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; thereafter, Wednesdays through Sundays.

Where: The Colosseum at Caesars Palaces.

Tickets: $87.50 to $200.

Information: (702) 731-7333.

The Ides be damned D-Day has arrived for Caesars Palace.

"D" as in Dion Celine Dion, just in case you haven't heard her name recently on radio or seen her face gracing television or billboards.

Or, in case you you haven't read about her in The New York Times or the Los Angeles Times or such magazines as Time, Newsweek and People or in hundreds of other publications that are following one of the most anticipated entertainment events of this young century.

Tuesday, the wait is over. And the questions begin.

Will one of the world's most popular singers pull off an entertainment coup with a show touted with so much hyperbole that one would think it will be the most spectacular, the most extraordinary production ever conceived by man?

Or will the show suffer the fate of Caesar?

Dion's "A New Day" debuts in a $95-million, 4,000-seat, Colosseum-inspired showroom at Caesars Palace following a barrage of publicity and marketing hype that has grown more furious as Tuesday's opening date has drawn nigh.

The 25th is 10 days after March 15, the ominous Ides of March of ancient Rome.

But producers, promoters and everyone else involved in one of Las Vegas' most expensive productions to date aren't superstitious. Everyone is brimming with optimism and confidence that "A New Day" will be a runaway hit and set a new benchmark for entertainment in the Entertainment Capital of the World.

"We're feeling very confident, very bullish," Randy Phillips, chief executive officer of Concerts West, said. Concerts West, a subsidiary of Los Angeles-based AEG, is co-producing the show with Montreal-based CDA (owned by Dion, and her husband Rene Angelil) and Belgium-based DRAGONE (owned by the show's creator and director, Franco Dragone).

Concerts West has produced several concert tours by big-name artists, including the Eagles, Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Madonna, U2 and Ricky Martin, but nothing like the Dion event.

"This, financially, is our largest concert, seconded only by the Eagles' tour," Phillips said. "And the fact that it's not a tour, but a single-destination, long-term event, is most unusual. We haven't done it before."

Phillips said the only reason it will succeed is because it's in Las Vegas.

"It's the right city," he said. "We couldn't make this kind of investment in a show anywhere else. It could only work in Las Vegas."

It's showtime

Not much has been revealed about the production, other than it will not be a traditional Celine Dion concert. She will be the focus, but not the entire show, which will feature a cast of about 70 dancers and musicians.

Artistic Director Pavel Brun describes the show as a new concept, a hybrid of headliners and production shows.

"Headliner shows have been overshadowed, if not disappeared," Brun said, pointing out such productions as "Mystere" at Treasure Island. Although he has worked on such headliner-less shows as "O," Brun says there is enough room in Las Vegas for all kinds of entertainment.

"The beauty of Las Vegas is its versatility. It is not that headliners should replace production shows, but the two can coexist," he said.

Brun called the concept, blending a production with a star, "a new generation of headliners."

Brun said the basic theme of "A New Day" is "love."

"It is not a presentation of Celine Dion's greatest hits," he said. "In the show she pays tribute to people who have sung about love -- such as Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, Roberta Flack and Stevie Wonder -- something that the world hasn't heard from her."

Dion will sing songs performed by a number of artists, Brun said, giving the songs new interpretations.

Brun said there will be about 50 dancers onstage.

"They are not supporters, but rather collaborators in the production," he said.

It's axiomatic that if a show is successful in Las Vegas it will be cloned.

Dragone was the mastermind behind Cirque du Soleil's "O" at Bellagio and "Mystere," which have spawned three or four similar shows now in various stages of development.

If Dion's show succeeds, will there be yet another "New Day" in the city's future?

"It's in our business plan," Phillips said. "There's nothing firm, but we could potentially become more vested in the market.

"We're thinking about a lot of things."

Will they come?

Celine Dion has sold 150 million albums worldwide, making her the highest-selling female recording artist of all time.

But does that justify her being paid $100 million over a three-year period, plus 50 percent of the profits?

One of the issues being debated in Las Vegas entertainment circles is whether even a star that glows as brightly as Dion can fill a 4,000-seat showroom five nights a week for the next three years -- especially with ticket prices ranging from about $85 to $200, the highest top-end cost in Las Vegas.

Robert Stewart says she can, and her draw will translate into approximately 1 million more visitors passing through Caesars each year.

Stewart is senior vice president of corporate communication for Park Place Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars Palace.

"I have no doubt about it," Stewart said. "It is unique. We're taking a spectacle like nothing else that has ever been seen in Vegas and combining it with a world-class singing star."

He compared "A New Day" to "O," which debuted at the Bellagio in 1998. "O" ticket prices range from $85 to $110, yet shows are consistently sold out months in advance. The "O" theater seats 1,800. There are two shows nightly, which means the production fills 3,600 seats each day.

"If 'O' can fill every seat," Stewart said, "so can Celine."

Tim Leiweke, president of AEG, is credited with putting together the massive deal that resulted in "A New Day."

"It's a big risk, kind of like buying a hockey team," said Leiweke, whose company owns a number of sports teams and produces sporting events. "Tens of millions of dollars are at stake. This is one of the larger risks we have taken, but its a very good risk that we have bet on."

Leiweke and his organization put their money on Dion and Dragone.

"Celine is very unique," he said. "She has a great, God-given talent. We (at AEG) are involved with a lot of different musicians, and Celine is as phenomenal an artist as I have ever been around. She is the easiest star I have ever worked with -- she is devoted, committed, passionate about the show.

"And Dragone's track record with 'O' and 'Mystere' can't be beaten. With 'A New Day,' he once again has created a show that will reveal what a true genius he really is."

Publicity is good

Regardless of whether "A New Day" succeeds, the worldwide publicity has benefitted Las Vegas.

"It's difficult to say how many will come to see the show," said Rob Powers, spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "But her show has already generated enormous publicity, domestically and internationally. That's wonderful for Las Vegas.

"There's no doubt many people will come specifically to see her show. Many will schedule their vacations around the show."

Powers says the high ticket prices won't scare fans away.

"It sends a message that Las Vegas, as a destination, is unique in the world," he said. "It's another example of the kinds of entertainment that you can't find anywhere else in the world."

Powers says the ambitious effort by the producers of the show are not unusual in Las Vegas.

"This is a place where if you can dream something, you can make it happen," he said. "This show is another example of that. The feeling around town is that it can benefit the entire city."

Ira David Sternberg, former entertainment director at the Tropicana and now a public relations executive, says he doesn't believe "A New Day" will greatly affect other venues in terms of ticket prices and types of productions.

"Each room is different," Sternberg said. "It comes down to the performer and the show."

He said he has heard some grumblings that Dion is not part of the Las Vegas entertainment crowd.

"But the town is big enough and the entertainment scene is big enough and broad enough to encompass that element," he said. "She is one more element of the total entertainment mix. I don't view it as a negative thing."

Joel Fischman, former vice president of entertainment for Mandalay Bay and now head of his own company, First Class Productions Inc., has been involved in the Las Vegas entertainment scene for more than 10 years.

"I think it's going to be interesting to watch to see if the show is good," said Fischman, a consultant to The Venetian and to magicians Penn & Teller. "Dragone has always done wonderful work and Celine has done wonderful concerts. Together, they should be great. But you don't know until you see it."

Fischman says the show has the potential to succeed.

"I don't think anybody can be too ambitious if they have the right formula," he said. "We know Cirque (du Soleil) works in this town -- it will have close to six (ongoing production) shows here in a couple of years.

"Dragone is already on board for Mr. (Steve) Wynn at Le Reve. My question is, when Celine leaves, who do you find to replace her?"

Until that decision has to be made, Fischman says the production and all surrounding it is exciting.

"It's good for the town, overall," he said. "No matter what happens. Everybody will benefit it it succeeds. Success from one show breeds success for other shows. It's nice to see risks being taken. But it's a tough ticket price, with an average of $140 per ticket. That is going to be difficult."

David Saxe, producer of "Showgirls of Magic" at San Remo ($30) and "V: the Ultimate Variety Show" at The Venetian ($49 to $69), isn't put off by the steep ticket price for "A New Day."

"It just makes my shows look like a bargain," he said.

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