Celine Dion Debuts Las Vegas Show

Celine Dion leaves no doubt that she's ready to embrace Las Vegas five nights a week, 40 weeks a year until 2006 with her much-hyped new show, "A New Day."

She dances. She swoons. She flies. The newly-muscled diva with a tomboyish haircut belts out 23 songs over more than 100 minutes in a Caesars Palace theater designed just for her.

But everyone in Las Vegas wants to know whether Dion, who turns 35 on March 30, can withstand the show's physical and emotional demands. Starting Tuesday, she'll hit the stage more times a year than Derek Jeter fields balls at Yankee Stadium.

Dion might keep Caesars fresh, but who will keep Dion fresh?

"I don't see that as a problem," says her husband-manager, Rene Angelil. "For her, it's a different audience every night. It's like a dream for a singer."

Those surrounding the French-Canadian superstar believe she's prepared for the rigors of singing nightly in a desert climate that has damaged lesser voices.

But careers and reputations will be damaged if Dion doesn't continue to attract the masses after her premiere Tuesday, the same day she'll release a new album and appear in a CBS television special.

Caesars Palace, which is banking on Dion to re-energize it, might have the most to lose if "A New Day" sinks like the Titanic.

The once-dominant Strip casino has faded in recent years behind such mega resorts as Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and The Venetian. Caesars spent $95 million to create the lavish Colosseum for Dion that seats 4,100, and paid more than $30 million more to produce "A New Day."

Dion will receive about $100 million, plus 50 percent of the profits during the three-year contract, Angelil said. The singer declined to comment for this story.

Even in a city known for high-dollar risks, Dion is a gamble. The world's best-selling female singer is trying to become the first A-list celebrity to perform nightly in Las Vegas.

Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley played here regularly but never called Las Vegas home. Dion, Angelil and their 2-year-old son moved to a $1.2 million house in Lake Las Vegas for an easy 17-mile commute.

The spacious Colosseum has a plush apartment in which Dion and her family can rest and entertain guests. She has a Belgian Olympic trainer and does yoga, lest her spirits flag.

But what about her voice? Angelil says Dion has trained for the stress of singing nightly. A doctor will check her vocal cords every two to three months to make sure her multimillion-dollar throat is purring like the Ferraris parked at the casino's VIP lot.

On a recent day when Dion was perfecting the show, she groused that the theater was too cold and wrapped a scarf around her neck. On doctor's orders, a stage humidifier was installed to pump out moist air to prevent desert throat.

"She isn't just a little girl with a great voice," says technical director Rick Mooney. "There are a couple hundred employees that are depending on her for their income. There are no measures that are too extreme."

One of those counting most heavily on Dion is Franco Dragone, the Belgian director of "A New Day" who created the Cirque du Soleil shows, including "Mystere" and "O," which have toured the world and become long-running Las Vegas hits.

Dragone has assembled 48 dancers, four backup singers and a seven-piece band that will accompany Dion during the show. Behind the slanted stage, a huge screen projects ever-changing images.

A tentative set list combines previous Dion hits, such as "My Heart Will Go On" from the film "Titanic," with at least one single - a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "I Drove All Night" - from her new album, "One Heart."

Dragone says one of the challenges in creating "A New Day" was finding the balance between the songs and "trying to mix everything, not upstaging Celine."

Dragone stops talking for a few seconds and ponders a larger question: How can anyone concentrate on "A New Day" during the U.S.-led war with Iraq?

"It doesn't make our job easy," he said. "I hope it will be fast. Life goes on. We have to live."

During the Persian Gulf War, Las Vegas tourism dipped precipitously and took months to rebound. The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were even more devastating to the city's economy, as visitors avoided air travel.

So far, more than 250,000 tickets to Dion's show have been sold, said John Meglen, co-chief executive officer for Concerts West. Performances are nearly sold out through May with some singles available, and Meglen plans to begin selling tickets through September next week. Prices range from $87.50 to $200.

"I guess it all depends on what happens, which is what none of us knows," Meglen says. "But I'm not really nervous. I don't think the world is going to be stressed out for the next three years."

The show must go on in Las Vegas - the promoters, managers and casino executives can't afford to delay its opening.

"It's got to be good," Angelil says. "It's got to be great."

By Adam Goldman