Wednesday, March 26, 2003 | 8:22 a.m.
Celine Dion has rendered unto Caesars Palace that which once was Caesars: its place at the forefront of Las Vegas entertainment.
With the debut of "A New Day ..." Tuesday, one of the city's more venerable resorts can rightfully reclaim its leadership role in creating excitement in a city where excitement has become so common it is taken for granted.
In its heyday, which began in 1966, Caesars featured such world-class performers as Tony Bennett, Victor Borge, Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Johnny Mathis, Judy Garland, Lou Rawls and Frank Sinatra.
Productions such as "The Milton Berle Show," "Sweet Charity," with Juliet Prowse and "The Harry Belafonte Show" were often performed in the now-defunct Circus Maximus.
And now there is The Colosseum, a $95-million showroom built especially for the world's leading female singer.
The money was well spent.
The showroom is a marvel. Though the seats are a little cramped, none of them are poorly located. Sure, from the mezzanine Celine Dion looks kind of small, but her image frequently appears on what has been billed as the largest LED screen in North America.
The screen looms large behind the 22,450-square-foot stage, and it is frequently used to project a variety of images that enhance the performance by Dion and her cast of 58 dancers.
With all of the wonders of modern technology at his disposal, director Franco Dragone has created a visual feast keeping with the style of shows he developed at Bellagio ("O") and at Treasure Island ("Mystere").
Dragone is a creative genius, and he has not let down his fans.
"A New Day" is as good as the shows at Bellagio and Treasure Island, and perhaps better in its own way.
One of the questions on the minds of many entertainment observers has been whether Dion is worth the high ticket prices -- ranging from about $85 up to $200 -- and whether she can fill the 4,000-seat showroom almost nightly for 200 shows per year.
If Fleetwood Mac and Elton John and Billy Joel can fill arenas with fans who pay in the neighborhood of $300 a ticket, Dion's average price tag average of about $140 seems cheap.
And you get a lot more for your money.
Dragone assembled a superlative creative team, including assistant director Pavel Brun, choreographer Mia Michaels, lighting designer Yves Aucoin, set designer Michel Crete, costume designer Dominique Lemieux and musical director Claude Lemay.
Though credit goes to the dancers, the musicians and all of the other elements that go into the production (and they all deserve kudos), make no mistake -- the star of the show is Celine Dion.
She is thrilling to hear live. Her voice is powerful. Her song interpretations are from the heart. Her connection to the audience is strong.
But for a couple of costume changes, she is onstage for the entire 90-minute production and she sings 22 songs -- many of them her most popular hits.
Included in the repertoire is "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song from the 1997 film "Titanic." Dion won an Oscar for the song, the second of her career; the first was in 1992 for "Beauty and the Beast."
The native of Charlemagne in Quebec, Canada, has also received several Grammy Awards for "My Heart Will Go On," "Falling Into You" and "Beauty and the Beast."
If you like Dion, you will love the show. If you were not a fan before, chances are you will be by the end of the performance. And even if you aren't a fan, you can still appreciate the artistry of the dancing, the costumes and the technology, not to mention the power of the music that fills the arena.
Overall, it is a stunning production, filled with many surprises that will have you shaking your head in awe -- including oversized, misshapen musical instruments seemingly floating in air and ridden by cast members.
Scenes range from the Gothic to the psychedelic; from the symbolic to the ethereal -- all revolving around the theme of love.
Most of the songs in the show are from her albums, five from her 2002 release, "A New Day Has Come" -- including the title song, "Nature Boy," "I'm Alive," "At Last" and "I Surrender."
Other songs from Dion albums in the show include "The Power of Love" (1993); "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" ('96); "Because You Loved Me" ('96); "To Love You More" ('95) and "Love Can Move Mountains" ('92).
She also paid homage to Peggy Lee, with Lee's classic 1958 version of "Fever," and to Frank Sinatra, with his 1953 rendition of "I've Got the World on a String."
As do some other performers on the Strip, Dion often makes reference to her family -- her 2-year-old son Rene-Charles, her husband, Rene Angelil, 60, and her parents Charles and Denise Dion, both of whom were in the audience for Tuesday's performance.
And Dion didn't ignore the war in Iraq.
On several occasions she sat on the edge of the stage and spoke to her fans. At one of those interactive moments, she said: "With everything that's going on right now in the world, I just want to ask you to try tonight to focus on peace."
The audience applauded her plea.
And they applauded her, over and over again, throughout the evening. Though Dion's shoes were misplaced at one point in the show, and she came onstage barefoot until someone brought her slippers, the evening was flawless.
The only concern about the production is the surrounding commercialism. Is the artistry of the show in danger of being overshadowed by the commercial excesses?
Next door to The Colosseum is a Celine Dion gift shop that offers a variety of souvenirs.
That, perhaps, can be overlooked. But the connection to an automobile manufacturer can't.
The show could be called "A New Day (and a New Chrysler)."
When you enter the lobby of the magnificent, $95-million, state-of-the art facility, it's like walking into a fancy automobile dealership showroom.
Two Chryslers occupy prominent spots in the room. The only thing lacking is a couple of fast-talking car salesmen urging you to take advantage of the sweetest deal in town before it's too late.
There's a time and a place for everything, but is at the most expensive show in town in the most expensive theater in town the time and place to be hawking cars?
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