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BACK STORY:
IT'S BEEN FOUR YEARS SINCE SARAH HAS PERFORMED LIVE IN THE
LOS ANGELES AREA;
LAST YEAR, SARAH RELEASED HER CURRENT CD "HAREM",
WHICH HAS THE THEME OF AN ARABESQUE PRODUCTION. FINALLY, SARAH IS TOURING
THE WORLD TO PROMOTE "HAREM",
AND HER CONCERT AT THE ARROWHEAD
POND IN ANAHEIM WAS SARAH'S FIRST APPEARANCE
IN ORANGE COUNTY.
OPENING:
THE STAGE WAS COVERED BY ENORMOUS CURTAINS OF MIDDLE EASTERN
DESIGN; INDOOR LIGHTS WERE DIMMED TO THE RECORDED SOUND OF ARABIC CHANTING; THEN,
THE CURTAINS OPENED, SARAH ARRIVED ON STAGE WEARING A SHINING WHITE GOWN, AND WITH
SEVERAL FEMALE DANCERS CLOSE BY, ASSISTING WITH THEIR PHYSICAL INTERPRETATION OF
THE SONGS.
SARAH'S SOPRANO VOICE STILL HAS HER DISTINCTIVE CHILDLIKE LILT, WITH
A CRISP BRITISH ENUNCIATION. THE HAREM DANCERS MOVE CONSTANTLY, WHILE SARAH MINIMIZES
HER OWN MOVEMENTS, IN ORDER TO FOCUS ON HER DELIVERY. IN FACT, SARAH SOUNDS SO FLAWLESS,
SHE ALMOST SEEMS TO BE LIP-SYNCHING, BUT AFTER WATCHING & HEARING HER PERFORM
LIVE FOR THE 3RD TIME, I CAN CONFIRM THAT SHE ALWAYS SINGS LIVE..
NO TRICKS HERE, JUST SARAH'S INCREDIBLE TALENT!
HAREM DANCERS:
THANKFULLY, THERE WERE NO CLICHES OF VEGAS SHOWGIRLS
WITH EXOTIC HEADGEAR. A TOTAL OF 8 SLIM WOMEN IN MODEST, TASTEFUL, SARI-LIKE OUTFITS
WERE ON STAGE FOR ALMOST EVERY SONG. THEIR CHOREOGRAPHY (BY ANTHONY VAN LAAST) NEVER
OVERWHELMED SARAH'S SINGING; INSTEAD, THE DANCERS WERE USED AS A VISUAL EXTENSION
OF THE LYRICS AND MOOD OF THE MUSIC. DANCERS INCLUDED IRINA AGGREY, MIA OKORAFOR,
ROSE CHU, HELEN WAGSTAFF, MARIA BROWN, REBECCA DWYER, JOANNE CAVANAGH, VANESSA BRIERLEY.
HAREM ORCHESTRA:
THE BAND, LED BY JAN ERIC KOHRS, WAS FAITHFUL TO THE
ARRANGEMENTS OF SARAH'S LONGTIME CD-PRODUCER: FRANK PETERSON. THE 'HAREM' SOUND IS
A MIX OF TRADITIONAL ARABIC PERCUSSION, 'BOLLYWOOD' STYLE STRING SECTION, AND WESTERN
KEYBOARDS & DRUMS. MATTHEW SCRIVENER'S VIOLIN SOLOS SWEETENED SEVERAL LOVE BALLADS,
WHILE MS.SHWETA SHETTY'S BACKROUND SINGING COMPLEMENTED SARAH'S VOCALS. SARAH SUPRISED
SOME OF THE AUDIENCE WITH HER OWN PIANO SKILLS DURING "THE WAR IS OVER",
FEATURING A DUET WITH ELI BARAK.
STUNTS:
SARAH HAS DEMONSTRATED BEFORE THAT SHE HAS NO FEAR OF HEIGHTS,
AND SHE CONTINUES TO ELEVATE HERSELF OFF THE STAGE AND INTO THE AIR, USING A HARNESS
(WITH WINGS!), A PLANK, A POLE, EVEN A SWING, WHILE NEVER LOSING HER BREATH! SARAH'S
ASTONISHING BEAUTY WAS ACCENTED BY HER VARIOUS COSTUME CHANGES, WHICH INCLUDED BLACK,
BLUE, AND GOLDEN GOWNS, CAPES, KNEE HIGH BOOTS, AND TIARAS (COUTERE BY ELIE SAAB).
BLOOPERS:
THE MARQUEE-SIGN OUTSIDE THE POND MISSPELLED SARAH'S NAME
! *GROAN*
JUST MOMENTS BEFORE SARAH FIRST APPEARED ON STAGE, DURING THE TAPED
PLAYING OF ARABIC CHANTING, A YOUNG BLONDE WOMAN (SEATED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF ME)
SCREAMED OUT "I HATE THIS !!!" .. SHE WAS IMMEDIATELY HUSHED AND
BOOED BY THE REST OF THE AUDIENCE, BUT THE WOMAN CONTINUED TO SHOUT "I GREW
UP HATING THIS!".. *GROAN*
AT THE START OF A SOFT BALLAD, AT EXACTLY
THE MOMENT SARAH OPENED HER MOUTH TO SING THE FIRST LYRIC (AND DURING TOTAL SILENCE),
SOME MAN SCREAMED OUT "I LOVE YOU SARAH!"..HIS INTERRUPTION
STARTLED AND DISTRACTED SARAH FOR A FEW MOMENTS, BUT THEN SHE PRESSED ON AND CONTINUED..
*GROAN*
NOTE:
SARAH'S WORLD TOUR CONTINUES, ALTHOUGH HER NORTH AMERICAN DATES
ARE COMPLETED.. IF SARAH RETURNS TO THE USA BEFORE YEAR'S END, I'LL REPORT DETAILS
HERE ON THE WEBZINE ASAP! (REPORT BY: TONY MIJARES)
