Mariah Carey‘s Las Vegas debut of her new show, “#1 to Infinity,” opened to good reviews from critics–except one amazingly exceptional scather.
Jon Caramanica of the New York Times described the performance in the lead of his review:
“You watch the crash because you want to see how it will end: near miss or carnage, relief or horror, laughter or tears. Part of the appeal is the feeling of helplessness – you are a viewer, but not an agent. Whatever happens, you’ll be affected, but you can’t chart the course. And looking away is never the right choice.”
Caramanica went on to say, “Ms. Carey is still durable, and sometimes excellent, but her once transcendent voice is like decaying manufacturing machinery: It still churns but the product might be polished or dinged.”
He also described Carey’s performance as “largely difficult,” “tentative and inconsistent,” and said the show “displayed a minimum of imagination and effort.”
Caramanica’s review seems to be in the minority, most praised Carey’s performance and her impressive vocal range after almost 30 years in the music business.
Mark Gray of People wrote, “The singer, 45, kicked off her Las Vegas residency Wednesday night at Caesars Palace by poking a little fun at her reputation – and then proving beyond any doubt that she can still bring the house down with her huge range and high notes.”
The staff at TMZ also enjoyed the show, writing “Mariah performed to a packed house at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and her voice was in great form.”