February 15, 2007

Elton John & Tim Rice's 'Aida'

By Sherry Lucas

The gist: Winner of four 2000 Tony Awards, the pop musical's North American tour comes to Jackson for shows Tuesday and Wednesday.

Based on the story of the classic Verdi opera (the similarity ends there), the contemporary musical retells the epic love triangle of: Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country; Amneris, an Egyptian princess; and the soldier Radames, who has the love of both.

Aida originally was produced by Disney Theatrical Productions; the touring production was conceived and developed by Big League Theatricals.

"It's a blockbuster of a show, a major hit from the minute it opened," said William Kessler, whose W. Kessler Ltd. brings Aida to Jackson in its Best of Broadway series. "The sets, costumes, lighting and music, all the components are there."

The score: In addition to spoken dialogue, the music romps through a variety of song types, including urban-based rhythm and blues, gospel, ballads and Crocodile Rock songs. The Tony- and Grammy-winning score was the first collaboration by John and Rice since writing the music for the wildly successful The Lion King.

"It's not only great music but it's moving and the numbers are so rousing and the audience really gets sucked into it," said Leah Allers, who found her dream role in Amneris in the production.

Song and dance: On the lighter side, her My Strongest Suit is a showstopper, a Crocodile Rock-influenced "big girlie fantasy scene" of a fashion show, shoes and dresses. On the powerful side, Gods Love Nubia connects with gospel and R&B influences.

Her lead role runs the emotional gamut. "She starts off as a really fun, sort of naive, shallow, spoiled princess whose world pretty much revolves around her wardrobe. ... Through her friendship with Aida, she starts learning about herself. ... Through a turn of hardships and heartbreaks, she really deepens into a noble, altruistic woman who eventually becomes the new ruler of Egypt. It's a very meaty role and it's a lot of fun as an actress to portray that," Allers said.

Aida's leads focus on acting and singing while a dancer-heavy ensemble backs them up.

"Most of our dancers come from Alvin Ailey (American Dance Theater); they're really beautiful dancers," Allers said. The dancers portray Nubian slaves, Aida's people who are oppressed and held captive by the Egyptians, and Amneris' handmaidens.

"It really offers so much," Allers said of the musical. "It has comedy and it also has tragedy and I think people really are moved by the story."

"We make them laugh and we make them cry. It's a cliche but we really do. And that's what's fun about Amneris, because she starts off as the comedic relief in Act I and really by Act II, they've taken that journey with her and really feel for the things she goes through in the end."

Back for more: Ann Turner Williams, owner of Drake's Designs in Jackson, first saw Aida on Broadway May 2001 when she accompanied a friend, Cindy Cummins of Madison, to New York City.

"It was absolutely fantastic. We're both just huge Elton John fans," Williams said, adding that when she saw a commercial for the tour stop in Jackson, "I was like a 10-year-old waiting for Santa Claus."

She looks forward to reliving the fun next week, and taking along Cummins for her birthday.

"We're going to have a pretend-we're-in-New-York night. ... That's a far fetch but we had so much fun that night, the whole trip. We loved that show."