Celine Dion is, without question, a star performer-the voice, the name recognition, and the fervent fan base leave no doubt that she's among Las Vegas' brightest lights. But fans who attend a performance of A New Day ..., her long-running show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, walk away with a new respect for another aspect of her talent-her ability, and willingness, to share the spotlight with other performers. It's clear from the opening notes to the final curtain call that along with Dion and her orchestra, the dancers and technicians deserve recognition in this show.
Franco Dragone, whose vision has driven the Cirque Du Soleil mystique in Las Vegas, has created a haunting, ethereal stage show that incorporates brilliant choreography, unique use of suspended set pieces and, of course, Dion's powerful voice to transport the audience on an unforgettable journey.
The show takes advantage of the largest indoor LED screen in North America to produce crystal-clear, three-dimensional background settings, with images changing constantly, from a swirling moonscape to a glitzy night in Times Square, to a baroque opera house. But the technology serves as a mere backdrop to the human elements of the show, including a cast of 48 dancers whose passion and energy complement the depth of Dion's voice and precision of the orchestral arrangements.
The show-stopping number is "Seduces Me," in which Dion, seated in an overstuffed leather chair, languidly moans a steamy song of seduction while 20 shirtless male dancers slither about. The song leaves Dion fanning herself, and in a recent show, she cracked up the audience when she suggested to a woman in the front row that she get a chair like that for her home.
Dancers enjoy the freedom of movement above the stage, as Dragone frequently suspends them from cables like a high-art version of Peter Pan. Angels drop down from the ceiling on swings, workmen move a piano across the stage in midair, and in one particularly arresting image, dancers are suspended inside gilded picture frames, becoming works of art themselves.
Dion's repertoire includes all of her favorites, from "My Heart Will Go On" to "I Drove All Night," and her covers include standards by Etta James, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder. But the singer and the songs don't steal the focus from the other elements of the show; instead, they mesh with the dancers, music and set to create a cohesive and memorable performance that will stay with the viewer long after the last ovation fades.