Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA

Review by Angie Bedford

The story of AIDA is commonly known to audiences through Giuseppe Verdi's Italian Opera, based on Egyptologist Auguste Mariette's story - which is itself based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

After so many reincarnations, I suppose it was only a matter of time before a Musical version came on the scene - and Whitehorse Musical Theatre brings this to Melbourne audiences, with Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA.

The plot of AIDA is relatively simple, and mostly predictable, in which the audience is transported from an Egyptian wing in a modern museum to Ancient Egypt, by a statue of female Pharoah Amneris who comes to life.

In Egypt we meet Radames (the Captain of the Egyptian army) and Aida (a Nubian slave captured by Radames' soldiers). Radames is attracted to the feisty Aida, although he has been engaged to Amneris for seven years.

What follows is the cliche love triangle, which is soon complicated by the increasing conflict between the Egyptians and Nubians.

Director Shaun Kingma and company deliver a production rich in visuals with particularly strong characterisation from the lead performers, who enhance the music and story, making it their own.

Jessie Yates delivered a sincere performance as lead, Aida. The role is certainly a hard sing, with numerous powerful ballads which, at times, have the potential to become a little repetitive.

Yates provided variation in her strong voice that really lifted the music to a more emotional level. This variation was also reflected in her acting, where she aptly conveyed both the strong and fragile aspects of the character.

Extra points must also be awarded for her striking exotic accent, and pverall, it stood as one of the more memorable performances.

Alana Kiely (as Amneris) was yet another standout.

Kiely's Amneris was vain, ignorant, misunderstood and commanding – and allowed the developement of this transition in perfect time. A talented singer, Alana Kiely also delivered some of the stand out vocal performances of the night, the upbeat My Strongest Suit a highlight as was the more emotional I Know the Truth which was delivered beautifully.

The scenes between Amneris and Aida were particularly enjoyable, where the similarities and differences between the two characters were clearly revealed through some extremely nice pacing and movement, and is a real credit to Kingma's direction.

Radames (played by Mark Doran) delivered in spades, with a sweet tone to his strong voice that Elton John and Tim Rice’s AIDA : Whitehorse Musicalblended majestically with that of Yates. Doran has powerful stage presence, and suited the role well. Diana Perini gave a touching performance as Nehebka, singing beautifully in Dance of the Robe, as well as performing the tribal choreography passionately.

Other standouts include Jonathon Sebastian as Radames' commanding father Zoser (who was really enjoyable to watch particularly in Like Father, Like Son)as well as Nick Kong as Nubian Mereb, who delivered a very likeable portrayal.

The standout ensemble number was The Gods Love Nubia – it was sung soulfully and every single performer really gave their all. The girls also did a great job in My Strongest Suit, which looked and sounded fantastic.

Tamara Finch's choreography was particularly enjoyable, a stand out being the tribal movements in Dance of the Robe, which was delivered with great energy by the Ensemble. There is also lot of stylistic variety in the score, and Finch choreographed each number accordingly.

My only real dislike was the use of what looked like jumbo glow sticks, as they made a slight inconsistency in timing rather obvious. Otherwise, the choreography was well executed.

The overall sound was quite good, however on a few occasions ensemble lines were not picked up, and the very visible microphones were more of then than not distracting. That said, the lead characters in particular sounded great, balancing nicely with Musical Director Andrew Leach's polished orchestra.

The productions design was a treat, with an eclectic mix of modern and ancient design in all areas. Lighting design (by Jason Lord and Brad Alcock) was impressive, with good variety and contrast between scenes that complimented the superb set design by John Burrett and Brenton Staples, which gave the audience plenty to look at!

The use of projected images as backdrops was also effective. The spectacle of the River Nile backdrop was most enjoyable, as it effortlessly transformed into tents - a very clever concept indeed. A special mentions must also go to the subtle use of the Pharaoh icon throughout - a really nice touch.

Costumes were designed by Wendy Everest and Co-ordinated by Gillian Goodall, with many pieces on show! The overall look was period design with a modern influence, with a nice contrast between the harshness of the black Egyptian uniforms and the raw ragged dresses and fisherman pants on the Nubians. The modernity, and at times garishness, of the Egyptian costuming (particularly Amneris' extravagant wardrobe) heightened the simplicity and naturalness of the Nubians'.

I must note some of the standout pieces – the gorgeous multi coloured dresses on the girls in My Strongest Suit, the gold chain bikinis and Aida's simple purple dress with red detail, matched by Mereb's modest pants and vest.

While initially underwhelmed at the story, the excellent cast (supported by intriguing design) soon makes Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA utterley absorbing, with the show's conclusion particularly moving.

Whitehorse Musical Theatre are to be commended for a memorable production, and we can only hope there are plenty more to come.

4.5 out of 5

Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA
Presented By: Whitehorse Musical Theatre
Book By: Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls & David Henry Hwang
Musical Directior: Andrew Leach
Choreography: Tamara Finch
Director: Shaun Kingma
Official Website: Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA