AIDA Review (Community Theatre)

[broadway2]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 7:32am

Oh my god - this show was AMAZING.
Here is a review:

EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY: The person could hit the notes better than ANYONE that has EVER sang the song. I got chills and my jaw dropped.

FORTUNE FAVORS THE BRAVE: These singers were amazing yet again - the choreography was a bit.....strange. I don't know, it was a little...basic. For example, all they did was get into a triangle and then 2 groups.

MY STRONGEST SUIT: The choreography won me over again - AMAZING choreography!!!! It was sooo cool.

THE GODS LOVE NUBIA: It was by far the best number in the show - the choreography was the best out of ANY of them. I got goosebumps.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Great choreography again - not such great singing.

This production was BY FAR WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY better than the Broadway production. It was so good, that I even saw it a second night.

The 2nd night review:

EVERY STORY IS A LOVE STORY: DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN!!!! The normal person who sang this song was out today and the person who sang it this time was nervous. Their voice cracked a lot - I felt so bad for them.

FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE: I don't know what was up tonight, one person fell which caused another and another to fall (they were lined up like dominoes) and one fell off the stage and into the orchestra pit breaking a leg.

There was now a 30 min delay.

MY STRONGEST SUIT: There was a different Aida and she was clearly friends with the person who fell and was EXTREMELY distracted. The singing wasn't as good.

THE GODS LOVE NUBIA: They all seemed asleep on stage. Some didn't even sing.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Again, they were all asleep, choreography was sloppy.

So, I decided that it was just an off night and went yet another time, bringing my friends with me.

It was the exactly like the first show in terms of the show and the characters. (it was the first aida I saw and the first girl who I saw singing "every story is a love story")
It was amazing. Better than the first performence and my friends were AMAZED.

I can't believe it was this good.
Updated On: 7/12/05 at 07:32 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 8:09am

um, it would be helpful if you would say which production this is, since it's so amazing.

Posted: 7/12/05 at 8:36am

Sorry about the people falling, and into the orchestra pit, my goodness.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 8:49am

I guess you were so "amazed" by everything that you forgot WHERE you saw this show and which performers AMAZED you so much.

Really, what's the point of an "amazing" review like this without the specifics to back it up?

Updated On: 7/12/05 at 08:49 AM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 8:52am

It way times like six times better than the Broadway production, too, DP.

I'm slightly serious when I say I want to know which production this is. heh. It has been almost a year.

Updated On: 7/12/05 at 08:52 AM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 9:06am

I have a feeling that this wasn't a "community theater" production, but rather a "summer stock" production of AIDA. That would account for the alternate Aidas. I know the Gateway Playhouse in Bellport (LI) is doing the show now, but I haven't heard the buzz on it.

Updated On: 7/12/05 at 09:06 AM

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 9:12am

I know it's also up in Ogunquit, Maine at the moment. I saw that production this weekend and was pretty impressed myself, especially since there was a good number of recognizable names (the Mereb was actually Mereb on Broadway!). But that production doesn't have any understudies, so I don't think it's possible that you'd see different people in any of the roles, nor would there be anyway to cover broken legs (EEK!).

[WickedGeek28]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 9:21am

Dollypop, there was a review of the Gateway one in Newsday about a week ago and it was mostly positive, greast for the performers, but not as great for the piece. I'm frm Long Island too.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 10:13am

I saw that review of the Gateway production. It made me sad, but I suppose that's the typical reaction to the piece. I just never saw the reviews for the Broadway production in the first place until... well, a few months ago.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 11:07am

Actually the Newsday review reflected my feelings about the piece. As an Italian and an opera lover, I was infuriated that someone felt
AIDA needed to be re-worked. Elton John's music was "pop" and it didn't even come close to magnificence of the score Verdi wrote for the tale. How can anyone think of AIDA without "The Triumphal March", "O Patria Mia" and "Celeste Aida"? Or the live animals and the sets that magically rise through the floor at the Met?

I saw the Broadway production while it was in previews but walked out at intermission.

[broadway2]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:13pm

This was a community production in ... I'm not going to tell you where I live. But people switched off every night.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:21pm

Wow. Pathetic much? I guess we'll all miss this AMAZING production.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:22pm

Oy. Why bother giving it such an amazing review, that might just encourage people to see it, if you won't even tell us what state it's in? What's the point of making such a post, just to talk? That's useless. Don't even call it a review, then.

PM me if you don't want to post it. I'm curious.

Updated On: 7/12/05 at 04:22 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:22pm

They "switched off"??? What were they, light switches?

[broadway2]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:32pm

yes, they were light switches

It was in the state of Kentucky

[EVIE]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:33pm

It couldn't have been that great, if the dancers were falling over eachother into the orchestra pit and breaking their legs.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:40pm

Well, I'm certainly nowhere near KY, even if it did manage to be good, which confuses me in and of itself.
I guess I'll wait for the one on LI, or in Jersey this fall.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:45pm

Is anyone else scared of a community theatre production of AIDA! I bet they are doing RENT next year once the rights are released!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 4:46pm

Terrified. Have been since the rights were released. And even more scary - HIGH SCHOOLS are doing it.

[broadway2]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:20pm

I've had nightmares

[Dollypop]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:26pm

You've had nightmares? Over what? The prospect of high school students performing AIDA or of the "amazing" production you saw twice?

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:30pm

Emcee, if you can make the drive, I do recommend the one up in Ogunquit, where it's playing until July 23rd. Though it's not the Broadway production (sets and costumes are different, minimalized a bit), there's some Broadway and Off-Broadway performers involved (specially Eric LaJuan Summers as Mereb and Sebastian Arcelus as Radames) and, to me, was quite well done. Ogunquit usually gets a few Broadway performers up there in the summer (Felicia Finley, Richard Kind, etc. have been there recently) and it's worth the trip!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:31pm

That's the one in Maine, right? I've heard a lot of good things. About how long is the trip?

[GirlfriendFromCanada]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:32pm

From New York? It's about a six hour drive or so, about an hour and a half from Boston.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/12/05 at 5:33pm

eek. I'd like to go; I'll look into it, but that's a hell of a drive, especially for a currently car-less individual.

Anyone want to drive me? heh.