International superstar Sarah Brightman graced the the OLG stage this past Thursday night. She was accompanied by a orchestra that included a 16 piece choir. This tour is being dubbed the Christmas Symphony.
Brightman took the stage wearing beautiful light tan gown and went into “Ave Maria.” After a few numbers, a young boy by the name of Jacob Waisman joined her to sing “Walking in the Air” from the Snowman movie. He was a local product that was picked to sing with her. The little boy packed a big voice and held his own with Brightman. The moment didn’t overwhelm him at all. Brightman didn’t say too much in between songs and let her voice and the music do the talking. She did say one of her favorite numbers to perform was the Abba song “Arrival,’ which she made her own and nailed.
Their was a break and she came out for the 2nd act to sing “Do You Hear What I hear?” After this song, she introduced Buffalo native Jay Dref. Dref has sang with Brightman over the last few years and is a local favorite. They did a medley that included “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” which the crowd really enjoyed. Brightman went through numerous gown changes throughout and when she did, either the choir took the lead or Jay Dref did. At the end, Dref came back out and they both sang the John Lennon classic “So This is Christmas?” I was happy to hear this and for me, it was an exclamation mark to end the show.
Its been over 10 years since Brightman played the Sothern Ontario/WNY areas (Buffalo in Sept of 2023). So its a real treat when she comes to the area. The well over 2 hour show was a mix of solo material from her 12 studio albums with a dish of covers thrown in for a good mix. She received numerous standing ovations and each one was much deserved. She has one of the most angelic voices on the planet. It was a fantastic show that had everyone hoping that the wait won’t be as long the next time she come back to the area.
Setlist:
Act 1:
The Nutcracker/ Op. 71, Act 2: No. 12 Divertissement/Terpak/Russian Dance
Ave Maria (Schubert cover)
Oh Holy Night (Adolphe Adam cover)
Better is One Day
Walking in the Air (with Jacob-Waisman -Howard Blake cover)
Hijo de la Luna (Mecano cover)
La Luna
Follow Me
Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
Coventry Carol (Choir only)
Barcolle (Offenbach-Tales of Hoffman)
Winter Light (Linda Ronstadt cover)
Arrival (Abba cover)
Nessun dorma (Giacomo Puccini cover)
Emanuelle
Act 2:
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane cover – Duet with Jay Dreft)
Sogni (Georges Bizet -Duet with Jay Dref)
Carol of the Bells (Duet with Jay Dref)
Colder Than Winter (Vince Gill cover)
Silent Night (Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber cover)
I Believe in Father Christmas (Greg Lake cover)
Pie Jesu (Andrew Lloyd Weber cover)
The Nutcracker Overture (Pyotr Ilyich Tshaikovsky cover – Orchestra only)
Entr’acte/Masquerade (Andrew Lloyd Weber cover)
The Phantom of the Opera (Andrew Lloyd Weber cover – duet with Jay Dref)
Time to Say Goodbye (Andrew Bocelli cover)
Amazing Grace (John Newton cover)
Happy Xmas (War is Over) (John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band cover)
We would like to thank Erin Stitt from the Fallsview Casino for the credentials to review the show.
