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Since there was such an excellent review I figured I would use it. I differ with him saying that she wasn’t
the most stunning sight on stage. There was wonderful stuff to look at, but you never forgot about her for more than a couple
seconds.
We had such a wonderful time; I couldn’t believe she was singing the songs I have listened to so many times.
She sang a smattering of songs from just about every CD that no one could be disappointed.
Sarah
Brightman doesn't disappoint
When Sarah Brightman
opened the second half of her Sunday night show singing "You Take My Breath Away," you sort of felt like shouting, "Likewise!"
The
famed soprano played Comcast Arena in a go-for-broke show designed to please every listener and arrest every eye. And it seemed
to do just that.
The concert drew several thousand people to downtown Everett. The crowd, some dressed in gowns, others
in suits, looked ready for a theatrical show. They would not be disappointed.
Brightman, perhaps best known for starring
in the original production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," played hits from throughout her 30-year career.
Now
48, Brightman is not a woman heading quietly toward 50. Instead, like Madonna, she revels in spectacle. Every two or three
songs led to a costume change for the British star. She wore swooping necklines that begged for a wardrobe malfunction.
Somewhat
amazingly, she was not the most stunning sight onstage.
The show constantly employed high-tech stagecraft. During a
performance of "What a Wonderful World," Brightman was surrounded by lights mimicking butterflies. At another point, she and
eight dancing girls were projected onto a screen, giving the illusion they were floating in midair, swimming through a virtual
pool, as if in a Busby Berkeley movie.
Every now and then, Brightman would simply stand center stage, bathed in a spotlight,
and sing. That was pretty neat, too.
Really, it almost seemed like the show was a dare. It was as if Brightman, who
has said she was highly involved in the staging, wanted to know if people would still listen to her, even as she was surrounded
by enough special effects to make director Michael Bay blush.
At times, you lost sight of Brightman. You found yourself
staring at all the frippery -- the falling paper rose petals, the dancing girls with umbrellas. It inspired wonder.
But
then Brightman would hit a note during an aria. You would put aside the fact that the singer was sitting on a swing about
20 feet above the stage, and that the trail of her dress stretched all the way to the floor.
And then you would wonder
instead, how in the world did she do that?
Reporter Andy Rathbun: arathbun@heraldnet.com
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