Pop star’s powerful voice fi lls arena

CONCERT REVIEW /

Despite her Broadway background, the onstage theatrics stayed to a minimum during the majority of pop star Ariana Grande’s Thursday performance at Nationwide Arena.

The singer herself brought all the showiness.

Throughout her 21-song set, Grande’s enormous voice never wavered, even after saving her biggest runs until the end.

Grande and her posse of 10 male dancers ascended out of the stage floor to “Be Alright,” the sultry third track from her 2016 album “Dangerous Woman.”

Channeling her style icon Audrey Hepburn, the diminutive singer punctuated the show with nods to 1950s culture, from her opening outfit a la “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” to the balletic moves of her backup dancers.

Even standout ballad “Moonlight,” delivered solo while sitting in the middle of swirling fog, had hints of mid-century bebop.

Grande, 23, got her start in the short-lived Broadway musical “13” before becoming a Disney Channel sidekick on “Victorious.” She’s still straddling the line between mom-friendly jams and siren songs. With last year’s excellent album, though, Grande edged toward the latter with excellent results.

The barely disguised sex anthem, “Side to Side,” was delivered atop an exercise bike, a reference to the hurts-sogood feelings of all night and day spent in bed with a lover.

The latter half of the show, with infectious dance tune “Love Me Harder” and catchy “Into You,” only improved on Grande’s already well-oiled performance. Grande marched out for her final song, “Dangerous Woman,” in a shiny leather dress, having saved her strongest song for last.

A good show is telling when the live performance sounds similar to the recorded track. Grande easily exceeded the album version, proving the former Disney girl deserves a place among current pop greats.