LAS VEGAS — Some are surprised that Céline Dion is returning to the stage in Las Vegas while her husband and manager, René Angélil, is gravely ill.
But not veteran Celine watchers. If there was ever anyone who personified the entertainment adage “The Show Must Go On,” it’s notre Celine nationale.
Dion is set to return to the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Thursday night to kick-start another lengthy, sure-to-be-blockbuster run at one of the most famous venues on the Strip.
This week, she said she was coming back to the stage because Angélil wanted her to.
Thursday will surely be an emotional night for Dion. It’s not certain if Angélil will be at the theatre; that decision will be made during the day Thursday, according to Denis Savage, the show’s director of operations.
But while it won’t be surprising if Dion sheds a tear onstage on opening night, it will not be a sad soirée, stressed Savage, who has worked with the singer for 28 years.
“We’re doing a Celine show,” he said in an interview in an empty Colosseum Wednesday morning. “Obviously when you have a good friend that’s sick, it’s not an easy thing. But we’re putting a show together and we’re working hard on it. Céline is doing great.”
Angélil has been battling throat cancer for years, and last August Dion suspended all of her touring activity, including the shows at Caesars, to care for her husband. But in March she announced — to the delight of her fans — that she would be returning, and she has 40 performances scheduled so far at the Colosseum, from Thursday to January 17,2016.
It appears her fans wholly support Dion’s decision to get back to work even though Angélil is still ailing.
“It’s probably pretty hard for her to do that,” said Jacqueline Stapleman, a woman from Tigard, Ore., with Québécois roots, who was browsing the merchandise at the Celine boutique beside the Colosseum earlier this week. “I heard that it was his wish for her to come back to do what she loves to do. That’s her passion.”
“I’m impressed that she’s starting the shows again even though her husband is so sick,” added Katharina Traurig, a 15-year-old fan from the Bavarian city of Rosenheim in Germany, who has come to Vegas to see her idol. “I think it’s also great that René wants her to continue her shows.”
Dion’s show — simply titled Celine — remains one of the hottest tickets in Vegas. Opening night is sold out, as is the second show of the run on Saturday. Ticket prices range from $55 to $500.
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The French song tonight will be a surprise. Yves Aucoin gave us a hint: It won't be one of her songs. And she has sung it only once before. Any guesses?
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