DVD Pick: Celine Dion “A New Day” entertainingly bizarre

There is absolutely nothing subtle about Celine’s new concert DVD, and it goes far beyond the fact it is historically the mother of all Vegas productions. After all, the show was created by Cirque du Soleil’s Franco Dragone. Any bloke with the word “drag” in his name was destined to be involved with this show, indeed. The two disc set is handsomely packaged with a twenty-page lyric booklet that also contains lots of stunning Miss Dion drag poses, and the beaded one-piece short dress she wears on the DVD cover is a little slice of heaven. Girlfriend knows how to show off those legs.

Disc 1 contains the full 93 minute concert spectacle followed by a kooky fan tribute. Celine makes her grand entrance onto a mammoth stage framed by the world’s largest indoor LED screen. There’s this distracting guy in a yellow bellboy uniform and another dude that looks like a mime. They follow her around for most of the show. Nobody in the audience knows why. We move through a series of her best known power ballads delivered with spot-on vocals, followed by a few upbeat songs for variety. Just when the show couldn’t get any gayer, “Seduces Me” is accompanied by dozens of half-naked male hotties that surround her with slightly homoerotic gyrations as she sits in a chair and sings.

The transition into a Frank Sinatra medley and duet would have been a hot mess if this was a touring show, but since this is Las Vegas, Celine is able to appropriately pull it off. Think about the Natalie Cole/Nat King Cole video duet years ago and you’ll get the concept. The finale is of course “My Heart Will Go On”, and it’s 100% Cirque du Celine. People fly around the air in white gowns and such, but thank heaven we don’t have to see Celine on the bow of a doomed ocean liner while she wraps things up with her most popular tune.

If you’re pressed for time, I suggest skimming through the concert and get right to the freak show titled “Because You Loved Me: A Tribute to the Fans”. People from all over the world were filmed and invited to meet Celine Dion in Vegas, and these folks may well be her biggest fans. Who else sees her show 83 times? At least one lady has, which even causes Celine to reply “Can I ask why?” Her fans are diverse and memorable, like the swishy British gay flight attendant, a southern conservative couple who play a Celine song every night before bedtime, and a creepy mother/daughter team that get matching “A New Day” tattoos on their bums. The daughter kicks crazy up one more notch by showing Celine her car license plate of the same name. Bless their hearts. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in Celine’s dressing room after they were ushered out. This part of disc 1 is best watched with a group of your most cynical and ruthless friends.

For the absolute Celine Dion fan, disc 2 is truly the gem of this DVD package. “A New Day: All Access” is the entire concert with a behind-the-scenes voyeuristic treatment. “All Access” is so detailed at times with showing us the action back stage that it’s almost overkill. However, it plays like a nice documentary for those of us curious to see all the working parts of the behemoth production. Celine is impressive as she works under constant pressure before and during the show, best represented by a ten second costume change in total darkness on center stage. “All Access” contains many comedic moments and successful in showing the strong bond between Celine, the performers, producers and stage hands.

The total gayness of some of the dancers is much appreciated, and “All Access” probably answers any “how’d they do that?” question about the concert. The second feature on disc 2, “The Secrets” is more intimate and quite revealing, giving us an insider view on the affects of the show on Celine’s personal life. We also finally get to know her husband Rene’ Angelil, the man behind the woman. I couldn’t help but gasp a little when they showed images of her young son at their Vegas home. Good lord, he’s got prettier and longer hair than she has! I can’t wait to see what he looks like in French braids.

Image courtesy Amazon