AIDA

Music by Elton John

Lyrics by Tim Rice

Book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Fallas, and David Henry Hwang

Uptown Players, Dallas TX

(Metroplex Premiere)

*REVIEWED 02/25/06 PERFORMANCE

Directed by Doug Miller
Music Direction by Scott Eckert
Choreography by Vicki Squires

CAST:

AIDA………........…..Kia Dawn Fulton
RADAMES…….........Gary Floyd
AMNERIS………........Patty Breckenridge
MEREB………….........Cedric Neal
ZOSER………….........Regis Allison
PHARAOH………........Steve Iwanski
AMONSTRO……........Garry Williams
NEHEBKA………........Crystal Hannah

ENSEMBLE: ….......Michael Albee, Brendan Cyrus, Wendell Holden Jr,
Chris Robinson, John De Los Santos, Brian Woods, Charnell Bratton,
Connie Marie Brown, Courtney Franklin, Joi Jackson, Mandy Nguyen,
Rachel Tamez, Charlet Dupar, and Gary Williams.


__________________________________AIDA________________________________


Elton John's AIDA opened on Broadway in February 2000; I saw it the very weekend it opened at the Palace Theatre. My two reasons for wanting to see this piece was because I am a huge Elton John fan. I knew the basics of the material, which were it was based on a Verdi opera. The other factor was that Adam Pascal was in it, which I am a practically a stalker fan of (kidding).

But I walked away two hours later falling in love with an unknown named Heather Headley in the title role. That night in the Palace Theater felt like a religious experience. The audience (including myself and my guest) went crazy with each song she sang. A voice that had the power and strength of a volcano or a hurricane force to be reckoned with. I've never heard such vocal power before.

The score was pure Elton, and I loved it to bits. Funky, danceable tracks and big, soaring ballads.

I was quite surprised then when I read the New York reviews upon my return to Dallas regarding AIDA. The Gotham critics simply trashed it. I was quite dumbfounded. They hated the music, the book, the costumes, and the camp of the piece. It wasn't "Art".

All I kept thinking was, "Oh get that damn stick out of your butt." Why must everything be high, sophisticated art. Not everything written for the musical theater has to be friggin Sondheim. Why can't people just go for fun to the theater anymore? Must everything have deep, psychological meaning? Or layers of high drama to make it "art"?

Don't misunderstand me, I'm all for the dark, emotional pieces too. I'm still waiting for some DFW metroplex theater company to produce and mount a production of PARADE.

But AIDA is just a friggin pop musical. A haunting love story set to pop music. Why is that a crime?

When the 2000 Tony nominations came out, AIDA was nowhere to be found in the BEST MUSICAL nominees. Instead we had two "dance" musicals, the so-so CONTACT, the coma inducing SWING, James Joyce's bland THE DEAD, and the dark, complex THE WILD PARTY.  Out of the four I did love THE WILD PARTY very much. See? That one was dark and complex!

But it would be AIDA who would have the last laugh. It won 3 of its 4 nominations, and it was the only musical of 2000 left standing. The other three tried to run, but one by one they all closed. Only AIDA would last, closing after a resounding 1,852 performances.

When the national tour came to Dallas starring Simone and Patrick Cassidy, I saw it myself over 8 times. What can I say? I love that score, the fun campy kitsch attached to it, but mainly the beautiful love story that always grasped my heart. I can't explain it. But I always teared up when those two were flung into the tomb. But when they find each other a 1,000 years later at the museum in front of the very tomb. Well pass me the Kleenex. It got me every time.

Now Uptown Players has mounted the metroplex premiere of  Sir John's rock/pop tale of a Nubian princess, a handsome warrior, and another princess who loves fashion. With the exception of a few flaws, their production is smashing.

Visually it is the most sumptuous, exquisite, and lavish local musical production that I have seen produced locally in several seasons. Say what you will, but you have got to give Uptown props for attempting to re-create as much as possible the actual physical creations of the Broadway production.

Julie Simmons lighting design is mouth watering gorgeous. Intense colors spray the set and actors throughout the evening. Every color gel available to Simmons must have been used for this musical. She also uses various special lighting instruments that move light, change
color, and create dazzling lighting designs on the small space. There are aqua blues for the spa and the ocean, hot reds for the blinding Egyptian sun, and even a back wall of glittery stars.

Scenic Designer Wade Giampa had his work cut out before him with this piece. The story takes us everywhere. From a palace to prison camps, right down to a modern day museum. Giampa has created large sliding panels (which are all covered with hieroglyphics) that help the audience travel into the various rooms of the palace and the lands itself. We never lose track of where we are thanks to Giampa's marvelous set.

Michael Robinson, Bill Bullard, and Suzi Shankle use an assortment of fabrics and materials to create sparkling costumes. From the satins, silks, and chiffons for Amneris, to leather Matrix like robes for the ministers. The millinery confections for the fashion show were some of my personal favorites. These talented designers are assisted in completing their costumes with finesse by Coy Covington's high model wig designs and elegant make up that would find approval from Joan Rivers on the red carpet.

Kudos to Director Doug Miller for keeping the tempo and pace moving along, even with all those scene stages. His staging works extremely well in the small space. I particularly liked how he connects with his lighting designer in staging some dramatic moments in sync with the lighting.

I think Vicki Squires might have been a back up dancer for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation world tour by what you see in her terrific choreography. Some may complain that it is too MTV. But it is a pop musical after all. Squires has the soldiers and ministers do some eye popping choreography that just looks like so much fun to perform as it is to watch from the audience. Squires also choreographed with overtones of African tribal dance in such numbers as "Dance of the Robe" and "The Gods Love Nubia".

Wanna see the hardest working ensemble this season? Head over to Uptown! This group of dancers, singers, and actors are onstage constantly becoming everything: Museum patrons, spa girls, soldiers, slaves, ministers, models, and so on. They must be exhausted by curtain call, but you'd never notice it with their excellent work.

If I had to chose my favorite ensemble moments it would have to be the ministers' dance numbers and the gorgeous singing of the Nubians.

A resounding round of cheers to this solid ensemble: Michael Albee, Brendan Cyrus, Wendell Holden Jr, Chris Robinson, John De Los Santos, Brian Woods, Charnell Bratton, Connie Marie Brown, Courtney Franklin, Joi Jackson, Mandy Nguyen, Rachel Tamez, Charlet Dupar, and Gary Williams.

When I saw both the Broadway and National tours of AIDA, I always felt the role of "Mereb" was a throwaway role. His music was not that special and the character got in the way at times. It seems that under the right actor it can become something totally different. That's the case here with Cedric Neal. What a charming, funny, and moving performance he creates from this character. His finest moment comes in the reprise "How I know You". A song that you fast forward on your cast CD, but with Neal's haunting approach to the song, you actually wish
Elton had written more music for Mereb. Neal truly is smashing in the role.

The same cannot be said of Regis Allison as "Zoser". I honestly do not understand why he portrays the character so effeminate. This is a man who uses his own flesh and blood to ascend to the throne. Heck, he is even poisoning the Pharaoh just to make sure there are no complications. But Allison is so fey & effected you'd think he's channeling Dr Zachary Smith from LOST IN SPACE. The actor also struggles with the high rock tenor notes that Elton John has musically written for the character. Alas Allison is just miscast in the role.

Which leaves us the three principals. Kia Dawn Fulton (Aida), Gary Floyd (Radames), and Patty Breckenridge (Amneris).

When I watched the first performance of the national tour, I must confess I was let down and disappointed that Simone, Patrick Cassidy, and Kelli Fournier were no where near the vocal range of original Broadway stars Headley, Pascal, and Sheri Renee Scott. You could tell
that they transposed the music from the "up in the rafters" vocal range that Headley and Pascal possess.

But then I decided to see it again, this time accepting the fact that I am not getting the power vocals of the original three. This time around I enjoyed Simone and Cassidy immensely.

Thus when I walked into Uptown's version on Saturday night, I swiped my brain, thoughts, and early preconceived notions on Fulton, Floyd, and Breckenridge. I will observe them on their own merits. Period.

Fulton's vocal range is sublime and wraps around Elton's music like soft silk. This is not an easy singing role by any means. The majority of Aida's songs are big, power lung ballads that go to very high notes.

Fulton hits the big power notes every single time. At Saturday's performance after each song the audience responded back with whistles, cheers, and "Bravas". I even joined the audience whooping & hollering after her magnificent vocal attacks on "Dance of the Robe", "Easy as
Life", "The Gods Love Nubia", and "Elaborate Lives". It does take Fulton a couple of scenes to become comfortable in Aida's skin. But once she does settle into the role, she is commanding, regal, and wonderful as the Nubian Princess.

This was my first exposure to Mr. Floyd in a leading role and I was quite impressed. A tall, extremely handsome man who holds his own with his two leading ladies. His tenor voice has a nice, clean tone to it that fills the TRAC with lush tenor vocals.

Floyd does some outstanding vocal interpretations with such songs as "Enchantment Passing Through", "Not Me",  "Elaborate Lives", "Radames' Letter", and especially "Written in the Stars". Floyd works like a true musician by using his vocals to intertwine within the notes and phrasing of his music to bring out new meaning and elegant, fresh new sounds to the score.

Another surprise from Floyd was his emotional breakdown at the end of the second act when he and Aida are thrown into the tomb. I've never seen an actor truly feel the pain, hurt, and disappointment that Radames must feel at that moment. Floyd, with tears in his eyes and choking back pain sears into the loss that this Prince must feel. Floyd really gives it his all in this role, and he succeeds in flying colors.

The performance of the night belongs to the magnificent work of Patty Breckenridge. In my review of Theatre Arlington's BIG I said people and directors need to watch this actress cause she's gonna be a breakout. Boy was I right! In AIDA she delivers a performance that stays with you way after you leave the theater.

Out of the three leading roles, Amneris is not fully fleshed out. This does not prevent Breckenridge from developing such a dramatic character arc that leaves you wiping tears by curtain call for her. I've never seen such a painful, haunting, and splendid characterization come from this character until Breckenridge took hold of the reins on the role.

She smartly starts off as a spoiled, rich, daddy's girl who is an heiress. Think of an Egyptian Paris Hilton, but with asps and no cell phones. But then she sees and feels her childhood betrothed slipping away from her emotionally. That's when you see the arc and subtext of the character explode with power and range on stage, thanks to Breckenridge's phenomenal performance.