Theater Reviews

Mar 17, 2007 - Oh, the angst of it all! Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida" is all style and no substance

By By Jack Neal

Storytelling is what good theater is about. When a musical, such as "Aida," is so drenched in vocal style (much affectation, angst and jack-hammer power) words get lost, storytelling itself is lost.

Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida" opened in Reno Friday night (3/16/07) for a three-day, five-performance run at Reno's Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts. The cast is young, attractive, vigorous and talented. Each does a yeoman's job of performing as they have been directed and with the material they have been given.

It's not their fault the book, music and lyrics give them little on which to hang the troubled love triangle between the gorgeous Aida, the Nubian princess captured by Radames, the handsome captain of the most important Egyptian guard in the kingdom, and Amneris, the beautiful and spoiled Egyptian princess.

In this tale of love, war and bigotry confusion reigns. Virtually no basis is made between stage action and audience interest in any of the characters and what they are going through. Without emotional identification this wasted "Aida" simply roars along full of powerhouse and forgettable song-shouts raising but tepid applause in appreciation. Until, of course, when it's all over. Then the large audience, which has shown little enthusiasm throughout, provided the entire hapless experience with a standing ovation.

Never (well maybe rarely) have so many paid so much for so little.

Neil Patel's unit set is a suitable glitzy concoction for a rock opera. Although, if those dreadful museum-looking, pedestal-mounted statues had gotten pushed onto the stage one more time to indicate some vague scene change, I wouldn't have been the only observer wanting to scream: "Enough, already!"

Emilio Sosa's costume designs are adequate. Most people are dressed in rags, except Amneris, who wears great clothes and Radames who wears almost none. Radames (Casey Elliot) has the kind of buffed upper torso the daytime soaps parade around, so keeping it undraped is a distinct advantage in a show that has few distinct advantages. Besides, Radames's body is the most compelling reason, in this musical without any other compelling reasons, for a love triangle to even exist.

The show's nine-piece orchestra is, under today's general penchant for tossing away one of a musical's main reasons to exist, excellent. The sound design by Lucas J. Corrubia and Chris Walters is amazingly controlled for a rock opera, and rarely – other than the song-shouts – harms hearing. Charlie Morrison's Lighting designs are quite good and do what they can to distract from "Aida's" non-action action. Sarita Allen has choreographed and her work is only mildly more interesting that Elton John's music and Tim Rice's lyrics.

The show's three pincipals are certainly not as shallow as the roles they've been assigned. Marja Harmon gives her all in the title role and she's poised and excellent. Leah Allers is commanded, probably by director Daniel Stewart, to play Amneris as a ditsy school girl. Anna Nicole Smith comes to mind, but it would be tasteless to blaspheme the deceased. It's not Ms. Allers's fault she follows direction well. She's a most attractive performer. Casey Elliot is the young hunk, Radames, and he's just fine. All three sing the show's bland song-shouts well enough to be given a chance in shows that have real music.

Which begs the point! Elton John and Tim Rice are seasoned show people. Why pick on an opera, Verdi's "Aida," that has endured because it's terrific, only to suffer terribly in comparison? It's like remaking "The Wizard of Oz" and improving on Harold Arlen's "Over the Rainbow," or remaking "Girl Crazy" and improving on George Gershwin's "Embraceable You."

Verdi, Arlen and Gerswhin knew what John and Rice should have discovered years ago. Great tunes, sung with sensitivity and a passion for words and music, deliver more for the human spirit and solid entertainment values than uninspired song-shouts ever will.

This touring presentation of Elton John and Tim Rice's "Aida," produced by Big League Theatricals, Inc., can be experienced at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, NV, March 16 and 17 (2007) at 8 p.m. and March 17 and 18 at 2 p.m. and March 18 at 7 p.m. For information call 775-686-6600.