AUGUSTA -- Disney has a way of putting a soft, fuzzy, Muppetty sugar-coat on the stories it adapts for the screen and stage. Yet its "Aida," if staged with savvy as it was Tuesday at the Barn Theatre in Augusta, doesn't strip the tragic Giuseppe Verdi opera of too much of its tear-jerking, and adds some hearty laughs, too.
As only musical theater would dare to do, the Egyptian princess Amneris (an as-always brilliant Brooke Evans) is given an "Absolutely Fabulous" sort of spin as a fashion-forward daughter of the ailing pharaoh who implores her handmaidens, "Let's polish this gem."
Evans earned her ovations in spades both in her tremendous take on her role and her amazingly adept handling of a misstep in the first act.
Nicknamed amazon.com by one showgoer due to her tall stature plus heels and high coif, Evans managed both to vogue her way out of a big slip on the stairs and work a resulting Janet Jackson-ly rip of her gown into the show's choreography. When asked by fiance Radames of her dress, "Is this the latest fashion?" she coyly replied: "It is now." The ad-lib brought down the house, and one audience member remarked: "That was so worth the $25 right there."
The invincibly poised Evans was well teamed with guest stars Karmine Alers, who vocally stole the show, and Jason Workman, an "Aida" first national tour veteran who stepped in as Radames because Barn equity member Eric Parker is suffering from bronchitis. Scott Burkell directed and Brendan Ragotzy produced the show.
The love triangle in the land of pyramids goes thusly: To-be-heir to the throne Radames loses his heart to a Nubian girl captured at the river's edge in the ongoing war between Nubia and Egypt. Little does he know spitfire Aida has a tiara on her own mantelpiece and is princess of the land he's invaded.
Meanwhile, the Pharaoh (Roy Brown) nudges forward the nuptials between the nine-years-betrothed Radames and his daughter Amneris, because he wants to see them marry and his health is failing -- failing because Radames' interfering father, Zoser (Joe Aiello), has minions poisoning his chalice nightly.
The story grips, and is better suited to its operatic origins than musical-theatrics. Few of the numbers are inherently the stuff of a truly memorable musical, so all the more applause belongs to the cast that kept the show so engaging.
If earlier in his career Elton John, in the anthemic days of "Daniel," "Levon" and even "Your Song," were teamed with a young Andrew Lloyd Webber instead of Disney drone Tim Rice, "Aida" might have packed the tragic punch of "Les Miserables" or had some of the moxied charm of "Rent."
As is, a contrived opening and closing sequence which together imply that the tombed-together lovers reunite in a jeans-wearing distant future called to mind a T-shirt slogan, "Hey, You Made Me Throw Up a Little."
Despite the bunk bookends, there's quite a bit of rapture in the middle.
In Act 1, Amneris' "My Strongest Suit" is a diva delight; "Another Pyramid," performed by Zoser and his ministers, is an unexpected spliff of reggae sound; and Act 1 closer "The Gods Love Nubia" gives goosebumps with its gospel refrains.
Guest stars Arbender Robinson as Mereb and Rebecca Covington as Nehebka feature prominently and passionately in the song, which would be better rendered by an ensemble that could pass as Nubian/Ethiopian rather than a chorus of mostly white summer-stockers.
Act 2 is tissue time, and its most memorable bits are its ballads.
Act opener "A Step Too Far" finds the three Broadway-caliber leads in perfect harmony. Alers, who'll release her first CD this fall and takes a vacation from Broadway's "Rent" to be "Aida," likewise brought show-stopper "Easy as Life" to lovely life.
Somehow the reprise of Aida and Radames theme song "Elaborate Lives" manages to hit the spot, where its sister-song in the first half had an adult-contemporary, "Almost Paradise"-cringe-quality to it. Their "Enchantment Passing Through" reprise also packed more punch than its predecessor.
Amneris' dark hour in "I Know The Truth" is perhaps even more poignant in part because the script develops her character and her love more thoroughly than it does the slapdash coupling of Aida and Radames.
That, and the audience had truly transformed into followers of Evans and her Amneris. The swift hop to its feet the audience collectively made when Evans had her curtain call was like a collective curtsy to the queen who ruled the show.
Another show added
The end of "Aida's" run on Sept. 5 won't be curtains for the Barn's 2004 season.
Barn Theatre producer Brendan Ragotzy announced at his curtain call speech at the sold-out opening night of "Aida" that they'd "just this morning" decided to add another show to the schedule.
What the program bills as "the longest-running musical," "The Fantasticks," will run from Sept. 7 -19 to finish out the season.
The schedule was also earlier tinkered with when the successful run of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" was held over an extra week. Because this bumped back the start of "Aida," two cast changes will be in place during week two of the "Aida" run: Barn apprentice Maura Hurley will assume the role of Amneris and longtime Barn leading lady Penelope Alex will fill Covington's shoes as Nehebka.
Jodee Shaw
AUGUSTA,
The Barn is only the second Equity Professional theater in the
The touring companies that will eventually bring the Broadway show to venues like the
That's because producer Brandon Ragotzy brought in Broadway talent to play the roles of star-crossed lovers Aida and Radames. Karmine Alers, taking a break from the Broadway production of "Rent," is perfectly cast as Aida, the beautiful, rebellious slave with a secret, who is captured by Egyptian captain Radames.
Tiny Alers has a big voice that enchants and inspires in numbers like "Elaborate Lives" and "The Gods Love
Workman, who portrayed Radames in the first national tour of "Aida," obviously hasn't grown tired of the role. He was fresh and convincing as the brave captain and explorer who must re-evaluate his life and all he has stood for when he falls in love with the slave whose life he has stolen.
With Alers, his rendition of "Elaborate Lives" is enough to break your heart.
Barnie Brooke Evans as Princess Amneris, Radames' betrothed, has no trouble keeping up with the Broadway duo, making us laugh with delight in "My Strongest Suit," ("I'd rather wear a barrel than conservative apparel") and bringing us to tears with "I Know the Truth."
Initially providing the comic relief, she also portrays an underlying vulnerability and strength that make the conclusion both inevitable and believable.
Longtime Barnie Joe Aiello is dead on as Radames' villainous father, Zoser. His comic timing is perfect, as always, making him a character we love to hate.
Supporting cast members Rebecca Covington and Arbender Robinson, both first timers at the Barn, step up to the plate and hit home runs as Nehebka and Mereb, Aida's staunchest supporters. Both wow with their soulful voices in the inspiring, "The Gods Love
The real star of this production, however, is the musical itself. With most of the audience unfamiliar with the story, which is based on Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera of the same name, audience members were on the edge of their seats waiting to see what would happen next.
Intermission, in fact, came as a disappointment as it prolonged our impatience to see whether Radames and Aida would end up together or if he would go through with his wedding to Amneris.
Elton John's hauntingly beautiful music, which wins us over during the overture, and Tim Rice's clever, storytelling lyrics take us through a plethora of emotions. We laugh. We cry. We fall in love. We have our hearts broken. We hope for a better future.
Those dissuaded by the notion that "Aida" is "opera" need to know the term "popera" is more fitting and that the pop musical score garnered Tony and Grammy awards for John and Rice in their first collaboration since writing the music for "The Lion King."
I could applaud each member of the behind-the-scenes crew separately, but I'll just quickly thank the main players instead. Musical director Steven Zumbrun's six-member pit crew sounds like a full-scale orchestra and is the perfect complement to the singers.
The costumes and the scenery are simple, but effective, in creating the mood of a sailing ship, the Pharaoh's palace, the Nubian slave camp and a present day museum.
Director Scott Burkell is excellent. This I know because the production was flawless. The only negative thing I can think of to say is that the two times Aida and Radames are sitting on the floor, I couldn't see them. Still, hearing them was enough.
Mostly I just want to thank Ragotzy for putting on a Broadway caliber show within driving distance to northern
If you only see one more stage show this year, the Barn's "Aida" is the one it should be.
You may see me there. I liked it so much, I'm going again. And that's never happened before.
Nobody glanced around to see if others were standing at the end of Augusta Barn's "Disney's Aida."
The booming applause, the shouts, the ovations were immediate and long-lived as a nearly full house praised and thanked a fabulous troupe for a fabulous production of Disney's Verdi-revisited "popera."
Karmine Alers, who played Aida, was literally "on rent" from playing Mimi in "Rent" on Broadway.
Small in stature, she has an amazingly strong voice and presence, and commanded the stage for most of the production.
Jason Workman, also a guest for this show, played Aida's beloved, Ramades, a role he played in the first national tour of "Aida." His voice and acting were a match for Alers's, commanding yet gentle.
In fact, Workman would be a knock-out as Jean Valjean in "Les Miserables," and that is high praise, indeed.
Brooke Evans, as Amneris, the spoiled, fashion-obsessed Egyptian princess betrothed to Ramades, showed remarkable versatility, singing with a clear soprano voice, punching out sardonic one-liners, such as "Dress is my strong suit" and "I'd rather wear a barrel than conservative apparel," and finally relinquishing her albeit fragile hold over Ramades.
And Arbender Robinson, also a guest for this production, showed equal versatility as the non-leading manservant, at times witty, at other times heart-wrenching.
His clear, true tenor voice, honed at Walt Disney World and with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, was a perfect complement in duets, trios, and quartets.
The story builds on Verdi's opera, sandwiching the original plot between two Egyptian art museum scenes from the modern day.
Keep the first scene in your mind, for it will take on new layers of richness by the last scene.
The music was pure Elton John, as he combined elements of reggae, gospel and balladry, all in easy range of the singers.
Conductor Steven Zumbrun, knew that particular keyboard sound John loves, with full chords and a percussive insistence.
In fact, out of six orchestra members, three were keyboard players.
John also has a knack for when to repeat and runs with that knack.
The lyrics for the dazzling final scene of Act I, "The Gods Love
The three book writers, Linda Wolverton,
Certain phrases, "Every story is a love story," "Fortune favors the brave," then later "Fortune favors the free," and "It's such hard work maintaining perfection," were emblazoned into the collective memory of the audience.
Unlike Verdi productions, the sets for the Barn's "Aida" were spare, with nary a camel or elephant.
Director Scott Burkell, wisely decided that the poignancy of the story, the quality of the music and the outstanding voices he had gathered should predominate.
Thus, the simple canopy or arch from the museum scene was on stage through the ancient Egyptian scenes.
Props and changes were kept to a minimum, making for seamless scenes and only minor stage business.
"Aida" will run for less than two weeks, and from the response of the open-night audience, many will be clambering for tickets.
If you can't make "Aida," the Barn's producer, director, Brendan Ragotzy, announced that the theater will add an old favorite "The Fantasticks" to its summer repertoire from Sept. 7 to 19.
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