Aida
Aida
#0Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 5:54pmI bought the cast recording excitedly, having been reccommended it by many people. I'm listening to ti now and I'm not extremely impressed. The cast is great, but this didn't exactly turn me into a fan of Elton John. The music itself is just okay, nothign special. I don't really understand the fuss over it. Let's just say it's not going to be in my top 24 cast recordings in years to come. (I say 24 because I have a CD wall that fits 24 cast recordings, so I put my favorites up there. While it's there now, it will surely be replaced in the future)
#1re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:06pm
I don't agree. I love AIDA. You can get the book used on Amazon.com at the moment for $3.91 and it's a great book so I highly suggest you grab that right now. I got mine for $5.00. Also you should read the script. It might help you to piece the songs together.
http://libretto.musicals.ru/text.php?textid=487&language=1
Give it time. You'll like it. I promise.
Type_A_Tiff
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/04
#2re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:06pm
I don't think the CD does justice to the show, and there's a few songs that I always skip (namely "How I Know You", and both of John Hickok's songs, as much as I enjoy him).
Heather Headley and Adam are still wonderful on it though. Gods Love Nubia gives me chills, live or on a recording. And really...Heather...wow.
"It's not always about you!!!" (But if you think I'm referring to you anyway, then I probably am.)
"Good luck returning my ass!" - Wilhemina Slater
"This is my breakfast, lunch and f***ing dinner right here. I'm not even f***in' joking." - Colin Farrell
"Good luck returning my ass!" - Wilhemina Slater
"This is my breakfast, lunch and f***ing dinner right here. I'm not even f***in' joking." - Colin Farrell
Type_A_Tiff
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/25/04
#4re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:21pmI still don't like that song. At all. *cringe* Same with "Another Pyramid" and "Like Father Like Son".
"It's not always about you!!!" (But if you think I'm referring to you anyway, then I probably am.)
"Good luck returning my ass!" - Wilhemina Slater
"This is my breakfast, lunch and f***ing dinner right here. I'm not even f***in' joking." - Colin Farrell
"Good luck returning my ass!" - Wilhemina Slater
"This is my breakfast, lunch and f***ing dinner right here. I'm not even f***in' joking." - Colin Farrell
Sargar
Stand-by Joined: 10/16/04
#5re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:31pmI think the cd alone can't represent the show...Heather Headley is AMAZING, I have yet to see any other actress perform the role the way she did. Plus, visually it's beautiful, between the costumes, and the ending with her and Radames...I thought the cast sounded much better live, particularly John Hickok in "Like Father Like Son"
"Hey Joey McIntyre, is there a balcony in Madison Square Garden? Joey knows his venues a little better than me. That's okay...I have a bigger part on broadway...:)" -Idina Menzel
#6re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:38pmSargar I love your quote with Idina and Joey it made me crack up
"But I relish every brillant inspired moment. This is who I'm determined to be- an actor/singer/dancer-no, I take that back, this is who I am. These people are my tribe, my destiny. I know it.
-How I Paid for College; A story of sex, theft, friendship and musical theater.
#7re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 6:53pmI've never thought Elton John could write for the stage. His additions the The Lion King stage score is the major detriment to that show. Some of the songs in Aida are very good, but I can't help but think it's because of the stellar delivery by the performers (Heather Headley especially), rather than the actual material.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Sargar
Stand-by Joined: 10/16/04
#8re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 7:17pm
haha, thanks TabooWickedFan! It was from her concert that she gave a couple weeks ago...she's quite the riot
"Hey Joey McIntyre, is there a balcony in Madison Square Garden? Joey knows his venues a little better than me. That's okay...I have a bigger part on broadway...:)" -Idina Menzel
BSoBW2
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/8/04
BroadwayBaby21
Broadway Star Joined: 8/20/04
#11re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 8:16pm
The CD doesn't do the show justice. It is absolutely AMAZING onstage. I was lucky to see it twice, once with both Adam's and Heather's understudies, and the second with Adam and Maya Days. It is such a great show, and it's so sad that it had to leave.
I agree with 'How I Know You' and 'Another Pyramid'... I always skip them. But I actually like 'Like Father, Like Son'. Mostly because Adam sings in it...
-If you don't like your fate, change it. You are your own master.- Aida
#12re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 8:19pmAida is so much fun to watch, but I think the CD is also great. I truthfully didn't listen to it that much before I got the chance to see it... but I would reccommend it, now that you can't see it. I think that Lisa was a better Amneris, and the guy I saw who was Mereb was better (Eric Lajuan summers?), but the CD is still great. I'm glad it's Adam Pascal on CD too.
NIL MAGNUM NISI BONUM "No greatness without goodness."
Updated On: 12/28/04 at 08:19 PM
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#16re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 9:37pm
Although I enjoy Headley and was very impressed by her performance in AIDA, nothing about her would cause me to rave or even to award her a Tony award. As much as I think AIDA is an awful mess of a show, I think the score is remarkable, with an exception of HOW I KNOW YOU and LIKE FATHER LIKE SON. It rightfully won the Tony for best score and I really can't imagine how anyone can't like Elton's score. Not that I'm preaching to you or saying you have no taste, I just don't understand.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
#17re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 9:38pm
I don't get all the raves about Headly. Every time I've heard her, I've been less than impressed.
Hmmm...well, I've always loved her sharp-as-a-blade voice on CD, but Heather Headley is definitely someone you must see ONSTAGE. She has an almost palpable stage presence. When she first walked onstage in Aida and spoke her first lines with that deep, full voice of hers, you really did feel like you were in the presence of royalty. For me, it was her performance that turned Aida from a mediocre musical into a great night of theatre.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
#20re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 10:30pm
You have to have seen the show to have experienced her presence.
I can see how you might not like her voice, though. I didn't like her rendition of "Shadowland" on The Lion King OBCR, but her performance of it on the David Letterman Show was remarkable. I wish she would come back to Broadway, though -- she's one of the few strong singer-actresses to have made a debut on the Broadway stage in the last few years (we've had a lot of new leading ladies with a great voice, but not many who can carry a great acting performance), and she needs to secure her reputation with another show.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Updated On: 12/28/04 at 10:30 PM
#21re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 10:33pm
i love aida so much. adam+heather+sherie.. just amazing. i miss the whole show, and the second i bought the cd back in 2001 i fell in love with it.
as for heather.. my mom isnt a theatre fan, and heather had her bawling during aida because she was so moved by her performance.
anyways saw aida 3 times live, love love it
*Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second rate version of someone else*
-Judy Garland
#22re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 10:35pm
Oy. Vey.
Look. I know I'm biased, but to all of you dissenters, please give it another chance. I know the show had problems, but that score deserves the raves it gets. I'll always hold to my belief that it's nothing short of a masterpiece. Please don't be so quick to brush it aside on that CD shelf, MFL. Give it a chance.
Okay, and Heather. Can we PLEASE spell her name correctly? It's HeadlEy. See that E? It really does go there. And, like BlueWizard said, a lot of people may not like her voice, but you need to recognize talent.
#24re: Aida
Posted: 12/28/04 at 10:43pm
See? That's progress already. Try reading the script like someone suggested, or looking at a copy of the book, so you have something to match the music up to. Sometimes it helps to be able to put a score into context; I can rarely really love an album of a show that I'm not at all familiar with.
