LAS VEGAS If it lives up to its hype, “A New Day” starring
Celine Dion, opening March 25 at Caesar’s Palace, will be the
biggest thing to hit the Strip since Elvis Presley. That’s a big
if. The hype surrounding the show is hip deep.
“A New Day” is being produced by Franco Dragone, one of the
creative minds behind the popular Cirque du Soleil productions
cropping up all over Las Vegas.
It will be seen in the new 4,000-seat Colosseum that Park Place
Entertainment is building especially for Dion at a price tag of $95
million.
The theater is huge by Las Vegas showroom standards, but has
been designed so that no seat is more than 120 feet from the stage,
according to designer Patrick Berge of Sceno Plus.
Dion will be the centerpiece of a cast of 60 in a multi-media
production that “fuses song, performance art, theatrical innovation
and state-of-the-art technology,” according to a Caesar’s press
release.
In an unprecedented move, Caesar’s made tickets available to the
public last May. So far, according to Michael Coldwell, public
relations director for Park Place Entertainment, 90 percent of the
240,000 tickets available for the first three months have been
sold.
“And we have yet to benefit from the word-of-mouth that this
show will no-doubt generate once people actually get to see it,”
Coldwell said.
Tickets are priced at $87.50, $127.50, $150 and $200 each. In
spite of the large number of reported sales, tickets are still
available through Ticketmaster.
In another unusual move, international tour and travel packages
are available through three international agencies. The Newmarket
Group in the United Kingdom, Gilbert Coullier in France and
Artistours in Quebec have reportedly sold more than 6,000 travel
packages including room, airfare and show tickets.
For domestic travelers, Caesar’s Palace is booking special room
and show packages ranging in price from $849 to $1,650, Coldwell
said. The packages include two or three night accommodations, two
tickets to “A New Day,” and other amenities such as meals, spa
admissions and limo services.
Details on the show are, well, hyperbolic. Even after a sneak
preview of rehearsals in La Louviere, Belgium, more hype than facts
emerged.
“I see Celine as a satellite who captures images,” Dragone said.
“She will use the stage to create her own universe and share it
intimately with the audience. ‘A New Day’ will expose Celine’s
immense talent in a new art form.” Dion described her own vision of
the show.
“I see a heartbeat in the fire of the desert, a soft but
powerful feeling in the center of Las Vegas, the city of lights and
passions,” she said. The one solid detail about the show that has
come to light is that Dion has said Dragone is trying to make her
fly in the show.
Show tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or
www.celinedion.com. Room and show packages through Caesar’s are
available by calling 800-933-7110. The packages are not available
online at this time, but soon will be, according to Coldwell. Watch
www.parkplace.com for more information.
