Apart from performances by finalists from 26 countries, the extravaganza featured numbers by pop sensation Madonna, Israeli artist Idan Raichel, and an array of former…
Apart from performances by finalists from 26 countries, the extravaganza featured numbers by pop sensation Madonna, Israeli artist Idan Raichel, and an array of former Eurovision winners including Netta Barzilai, who sung a catchy new song, “Nana Banana.”
The show’s choice of hosts was a nod to Israel’s pluralism, with gay TV personality Assi Azar and rising Arab-Israeli star Lucy Ayoub joining supermodel Bar Refaeli and Erez Tal.
The show also featured a clip by Gal Gadot showing off Tel Aviv.
While the song by Israel’s own entrant, Kobi Marimi, received mostly negative reviews, the country was praised for pulling out all the stops production-wise.
“It was an amazing production,” Israeli actor Orna Banai told Army Radio. “We’re good at whatever we try our hand at.”
Meanwhile revelers at this year’s Eurovillage — a specially built compound where Eurovision fans can enjoy the festivities, watch live performances and see the actual shows on huge screens — were stunned at its magnitude.
