Caesar's is Celine World

[thevoice]

Caesar's is Celine World

By Leslie Gray Streeter

 

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

 

Monday, September 18, 2006

 

Caesar's Palace has become Celine World.

 

And I say that without the least bit of snark.

 

 

Because if you have the kind of juice that generates a five-year, sold-out stint in a new theater built specifically for you, then you have obviously ascended to the top of the pop culture echelon.

 

OK, technically speaking, Caesar's did not build Celine Dion, the wonderfully over-emotive singing star and former Jupiter resident, a mere theater for her musical extravaganza, A New Day.

 

They built her a colosseum!

 

A $95 million, 4,000-seat, glorious structure in keeping with Caesar's outlandish Ancient-Greece-meets-Liberace theme. Seen from the exterior, it appears that grim-faced and chiseled Charlton Heston and his chariot should be inside, rounding a dusty track, or that perhaps Russell Crowe and his sword might be messing up evil little Joaquin Phoenix something awful.

 

Of course, this being Vegas, and Caesar's being one of the most in-your-face, over-the-top casinos, not many people would bat an eye if there were, indeed, a bloody chariot race dashing past the Versace store, through the bright colosseum ticketing area and into the massive columned theater, taking out a couple of ushers and some tourists from Boise.

 

Maybe the colosseum theme is more appropriate than I thought — in my notes from the show, I wrote "Are you not entertained?" which Crowe's angry Gladiator character shouted as a bold challenge. But it's an appropriate question for A New Day, which is all about entertaining you, with fancy lighting and sound, approximately eleventy-three dancers, singers, aerialists and various people hanging off the ceiling and with the show's most impressive special effect:

 

Celine Dion.

 

Some critics begrudgingly admit that she's a great singer, but I submit that it's more than that. The petite Canadienne is a musical force of nature who can sell even the most syrupy of lyrics because she's not just going through the motions — no matter how many times she's done this show, she sings every song like it is the most important thing she is ever going to do.

 

This, friends, is why her lovingly jerky stage movements, chest thumping and gracious nods to the audience work for her, where a lesser performer would sink under the weight of all that unfettered festiveness. Celine Dion, you see, is a true believer, resolute that her Heart Will Go On, that she's everything she is Because You Loved Me, and that Love Can Move Mountains.

 

And even if you don't cotton to her particular brand of bombastic, over-the-top lyrics, sets and inexplicable odd characters swanning deferentially around her on stage, you just might love A New Day because Celine's enthusiasm is contagious. She doesn't shy away from sincerity, or the possibility that being the centerpiece of a vaguely mystical production featuring dancers, singers and a guy dressed as a magic bellhop might sink into a beautiful lake of cheese.

 

She transcends cheese, and I have never seen anything like it. She is a one-woman pageantry bandwagon, the Unsinkable Molly Brown with a several-octave vocal range.

 

At one point, she sings Stevie Wonder's I Wish, without changing one word, including the opening line "Looking back on when I was a little nappy-headed boy." To my knowledge, Celine Dion is not, nor has she ever been, a little nappy-headed boy.

 

But this is Celine World, her very own stage in a colosseum erected especially for her. And even though it makes absolutely no sense, she makes you believe it. She plants her feet, contorts her face into a serious expression of nostalgic funk-grooviness, and sells that thing.

 

In Celine World, if a thin French-Canadian woman believes fervently that she was a little nappy-headed boy, then God bless her, you believe her, too.

 

The fantastical force field around Celine World is so strong that it can even sell the silliest portions of A New Day, which is produced by Franco Dragone, a veteran of many Cirque Du Soleil shows such as O and Mystere.

 

For instance, there's a character I referred to as the Magic Bellhop, a uniform-and-hat clad lad who follows Celine from set piece to set piece. Is he supposed to be the conduit between the audience and Celine World, personally escorting them and their mental baggage into a state of awe?

 

Or did Dragone or choreographer Mia Michaels of So You Think You Can Dance fame look around and go "You know what would be really cool here? A Magic Bellhop! We don't know what it means, but it's gonna look fierce!"

 

Celine manages to get through most of her famous hits during the show, either in their entirety or in medley form. My favorite parts were the most grandiose, like when the couples pantomimed passion in a digitally-produced grand hallway during the bombastic Jim Steinman number It's All Coming Back To Me Now. Then there's that woman who floats, as if gliding through water, above the stage, at the mournful Celtic introduction of My Heart Will Go On from Titanic, her stories-long white train trailing behind her.

 

Was she supposed to be an angel? A theatrical representation of Titanic's heroine Rose, who loses the love of her life at sea and returns as an old woman to die on the ocean, forever spiritually sealed with her love? Or just another cool excuse to suspend somebody from the ceiling?

 

Who cares? I believed it, all of it.

 

I believed it when Celine thanked the crowd, when she shot a "Can you believe this?" smile while being lifted by hunky male dancers, like she wasn't an international megastar but your college friend Kiki who got picked by the Chippendales to join them on stage. I believed it when she appeared moved when dedicating the schmaltzy If I Could to her son Rene Charles and all the children everywhere.

 

Normally, that sort of thing would make me snort, but I applauded, and swooned, and clapped my hands to my chest and let it all in.

 

Mock me and take my Cynical Critic's badge and secret decoder ring if you must. There is no room, you see, for cynicism in Celine World. You gladly submit to her earnestness, her chest-thumping, her emphatic John Travolta arms thrusts to the heavens. She's coming for you. And you have very little choice but to check your baggage, grab onto the nearest floating dancer, and come along.

 

Are you not entertained? You are, absolutely.

 

source: http://www.PalmBeachPost.com

[mirage]

hahaha i just saw it on palmbeach!! its sooooooo goooooooood

 

- the show's most impressive special effect: Celine Dion

- she sings every song like it is the most important thing she is ever going to do

- there is no room, you see, for cynicism in Céline World

[lauracd]

It's a great great review!

[bronzey]

I have to agree....one of the best reviews Ive read.

[Koolan]

very enjoyable read certainly one of the best!

[Céline's Blues]

Everybody write to him how much you enjoyed reading it!

 

leslie_streeter@pbpost.com

 

It's been so long I have read an article about her that is so long! I love it.

Edited September 18, 2006 at 09:48 AM by siur

[lauracd]

Everybody write to him how much you enjoyed reading it!

 

leslie_streeter@pbpost.com

 

It's been so long I have read an article about her that is so long! I love it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

It's true; it was a very long time!

[Tal]

that was a hilarious review! i loved it.

 

but whats up with this line: "Caesar's outlandish Ancient-Greece-meets-Liberace theme" Last i heard, he was Roman, not Greek...

[J-Philippe]

Cool, thanks for this review :)

[winforlife]

Everybody write to him how much you enjoyed reading it!

 

leslie_streeter@pbpost.com

 

It's been so long I have read an article about her that is so long! I love it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The critic is a female although Leslie can be a male's name as well

 

A realistic and positive review

[nico robin]

grate review!!!so nice to read this about celine!

[stevo]

I emailed the writer this-

"Thank you for that amazing review of the A New Day show- you have made a big impression on the celinedionforum where, obviously, we all feel immensely proud of Celine and her show. When people like you write your appreciation of her voice and her talent it makes us all so happy to be Celine's fans. You captured the show, Celine, the Colosseum and everything the show does to you completely! Thank you! Send your review to all the major newspapers- spread the word!Stephen Blair, a crazy Celine Dion fan, N.Ireland"

 

and she replied-"Wow! Thanks!" Hehe. Everyone email her- let's milk it- she might write summit else. She replied in minutes!

 

Her email- leslie_streeter@pbpost.com

Edited September 18, 2006 at 05:28 PM by stevo

[Koolan]

I already sent an email, his/her reply:

 

"Thanks! It was great to do!"

[poetic]

It's nice to hear positive reviews and like she said without any sarcasm and cynicism.

[Cambroneroj]

I emailed her and she reply also!

This is the email.

 

I wrote:

 

Thanks for such great review of Celine Dion world/show , I must say that i

>have been to the show several times(going again 2 times next month) and i

>love it to the last minute, thanks again and keep up the great work. Want to

>go again ? lets go!

 

She wrote:

 

I am sure I'll make it back there. My mom would love it.

 

She is such a wonderful performer, and I love that she is so earnest.

There is not enough earnestness in pop culture these days.

 

So glad you liked the story!

 

Leslie.

[ZoraSourit]

I loved it! Great review in fact.

[whosarahre]

rome, not greece!

 

but besides that great review

[Krys]

a very nice one. i have to agree its one of the best i've read

[ashleylovesceline]

In Celine World, if a thin French-Canadian woman believes fervently that she was a little nappy-headed boy, then God bless her, you believe her, too.

 

 

OMG, that is an awesome review! Loved it. Thanks for posting!

Edited September 19, 2006 at 11:06 AM by ashleylovesceline

[Zora]

Thanks for the review, am looking forward to the show even more now if that's possible!