Celine Dion
When Celine Dion closed her show "A New Day" at Caesars Palace in 2007, she left many fans hoping she would someday return to Las Vegas.
Their wishes were granted when Dion signed a deal to come back to the hotel and opened her new show in 2011.
Her current production is very different from "A New Day." You won't see a huge cast of dancers and over-the-top production elements. What you will get is Dion and her powerful voice complemented by a 31-piece orchestra and three backup singers.
The production is not a greatest hits show (although Dion does sing fan favorites and hits) but more a mix of classic songs spanning several different genres and decades.
The show kicks off with video footage of Dion's last performance in Vegas in December, 2007, followed by video of the world tour she embarked on after her show ended. The audience gets to follow her life building up to her return to Sin City.
The curtain rises and Dion is standing on stage in a sparkling gown, receiving a standing ovation before even singing a note.
She launches into Journey's "Open Arms" and a white curtain is whisked away to reveal the orchestra and video walls on the Colosseum's massive stage.
Dion sings an old favorite, "Where Does My Heart Beat Now," while 11 video screens drop down and roll black and white footage from the beginning of her career.
A glittering chandelier lowers from the ceiling above the orchestra for "Because You Loved Me" and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."
Dion leaves the stage for one of several costume changes during the show, but audiences won't be bored -- members of her orchestra showcase their skills to fill the time with acts like a violin solo and a background singer belting out a song with the horn section.
She returns to the stage for an Ella Fitzgerald jazz number accompanied by just a piano, stand-up bass and drum.
One of the more personal notes in the show is Dion's rendition of Billy Joel's "Lullaby (Good Night My Angel)," which gives the audience a glimpse into her personal life with videos of her children.
Some fans might want to hear only Dion's hits, but in this show she chooses to sing an interesting mix of songs from other artists. She rises on a platform from the stage dressed in a slinky black dress for a medley of James Bond themes including "Goldfinger" and "Live and Let Die."
Dion goes back to her French roots with the moving "Ne Me Quitte Pas," a song that brings her to tears as she sings it. The audience doesn't need to understand the language to feel the emotion behind it.
There are some technological treats in the show as well. At one point the audience sees a hologram of Dion singing on stage. While guests are wondering if it's actually her or an illusion, she appears in the audience and proceeds to do a duet with the image of herself. She also does a duet with a hologram of Stevie Wonder.
After another costume change, Dion launches into a tribute to her friend and inspiration, the late Michael Jackson, even pointing out the exact seat he sat in when he attended her show several years ago, before singing "Ben" and "Man in the Mirror."
While there are a lot of ballads in the show, Dion gets the audience out of their seats and dancing with "Love Can Move Mountains" and "River Deep, Mountain High."
She ends the show with the sentimental fan favorite "My Heart Will Go On," complete with special water effects.
The production has a sophisticated, elegant feel and with just Dion and the orchestra on stage it's the perfect showcase of her five-octave range.
As the advertisements for the show around Las Vegas say, "Celine's Back" -- and we're glad to have her.
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