Aida- Page 2

[renthead2]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 11:41am

there's a dvd? of the musical or the opera version?

[ashley0139]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:10pm

no- the dvd of that particular show

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:19pm

I've seen two amateur productions, one with very clear racial casting, the other without. I thought the show worked equally well both ways, but then again I am familiar with the property, so I had no trouble keeping the characters and their origins straight.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 12:27pm

Yeah, it was a DVD for that high school's production.

Ourtime, I definitely think that even people not familiar with it would understand the Egypt/Nubia conflict; it's reinforced over and over. (I have issues with how "Aida is a princess!" is revealed through a confusing song where Mereb is all, "My father was employed by the king, who is your father, which makes you the princess," but that's neither here nor there.)

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 2:31pm

Mereb and Zoser have some of the worst songs (and dialogue), which is too bad because there's so much potential for them to be more interesting as characters!

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 3:34pm

You know, its funny, I thought the character Mereb was okay, he had an important part and whatnot, but he never really stood out to me until I saw my friend Alex play him. He was absolutely brilliant and I actually really liked his performance more than Damian Perkins'... his Mereb was so much richer and at one point he played it as if Mereb could have even fallen in love with Aida.

[greenegirl87]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 5:17pm

I have to make a small point about the Egyptian race for Link's argument.

Actually, they would have been white, as for a long time, Egypt was ruled by the Ptolemy(?) family, who were Greek I believe, definitely European.. Cleopatra was actually described as blonde.

However, I don't think for the stage show colorblind casting would matter or change anything, the show is so much about characterizations and relationships of the characters that their appearances shouldnt matter.

[Chloe]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 5:56pm

I've only seen the Broadway production, but it seems to me that the show could work fine with different racial casting. At the same time, I believe that America's history of slavery was in the minds of the creators and provided an extra layer of meaning. The heavy African-American influence in the score reflected this too.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 6:07pm

Fizz, that's an interesting take on it, and would've added another layer there that seemed absent every time I saw the show. I thought Damien's singing was okay but I didn't like his acting much. It seems like the only quality roles in the show are Aida, Amneris and Radames. And maybe Zoser, because even though his songs suck, a good voice (like John Hickok...more so than that Monkees guy...ick) can sort of rock it. Mereb, Zoser, Aida's dad and Aida's-friend-that-starts-with-an-N-but-I-can't-spell-it-to-save-my-life could've been great supporting roles.

[kate2]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 6:25pm

Tiff, it's spelled something like Nehebka

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 6:46pm

Thanks, Kate! For some reason I always called her (pro.) "Nek-ba".

Undi, in the opera, is Radames already "good"?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 7:17pm

I bet the sets were SPECTACULAR!

Posted: 2/27/06 at 7:58pm

In the Opera. Amneris is a total bitch. No ifs ands or butts about it. I remember reading an article about Elton John and he had stated that the reaction to Amneris as a cold hearted woman did not go over so well with the musical numbers she had. He wanted her to be more sympathetic (more Disney too I am sure)--- I actually like the charactor in the musical better then the Opera.

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 8:02pm

"At the same time, I believe that America's history of slavery was in the minds of the creators and provided an extra layer of meaning. "

So very true. Race is never mentioned in the play but the casting of a Aida as black and Radames as white gave the show a subtext that was more complex and resonant. Good thing too because the play as written, wasn't all that deep.

Incidently, Most Egyptians then and now are of Caucasian stock. Even when you don't take in to account the Greek/Macedonian Ptolemy royal family, most Egyptians were dark Caucasian. And while they were dark-skinned and not Nordic-looking like Adam Pascal and Sherie Rene Scott - who were no doubt blonded up to contrast more with the very West African-looking Heather Headley - they were Caucasians nontheless.

And Aida's country of origin, Nubia, is a Black African nation. Historically it makes more sense dramatically that
Aida would be from that country instead of Ethiopia where she hailed from in the Opera.

Nubia had a long love/hate relationship with Egypt which was one of the powerfull countries that was always invading it. But there actually were times when the two nations were on good terms and during those times, there was lots of intermarrying.

Indeed, Egypt was even briefly ruled by a Nubian, one of the few Nubian Kings who was actually able to defeat Egypt at war. But of course, the reign didn't last long.



Updated On: 2/28/06 at 08:02 PM

[2]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 8:16pm

Sadly, my voice is best for Amneris and I have the most interest in playing her....but I'm black....go figure :)

[mrkringas]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 8:36pm

I thought Amneris' top note was a F# in Strongest Suit? Or maybe the vocal selections are in a different key.

Aida has that amazing belted gospel style F at the end of Dance of the Robes. I love listening to Heather Headley pop that out with so much power. When I finally got to see the show I was delighted to see Deborah Cox sing it just as well if not better. Unlike some of the replacement celebs she used the original keys. Wish there was a recording of Maya Days though...that girl has a fierce voice.

Unlike Mickey Dolenz....urrggggggggh! He fell apart in "Like Father Like Son" and didnt even attempt the B flat.

Sorry I am such a money note mark

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/27/06 at 9:34pm

Aida's-friend-that-starts-with-an-N-but-I-can't-spell-it-to-save-my-life could've been great supporting roles.

As said, it was Nehebka. Our Nehebka rocked... she had the most bloodcurdling scream XD


I thought Amneris' top note was a F# in Strongest Suit? Or maybe the vocal selections are in a different key.


Must be different keys, because the books from MTI had that and the Dance of the Robe end note were A-flats... although my brain might just be dying on me. XD I wish I still had the book so I could check.


Aida would be from that country instead of Ethiopia where she hailed from in the Opera.


Actually, Nubia and Ethiopia are the same place, the Nubians themselves called in Nubia and everyone else used Ethiopia, and they obviously didn't want to use the two different terms in the play cause... it would confuse people.

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 12:52pm

"Actually, Nubia and Ethiopia are the same place, the Nubians themselves called in Nubia and everyone else used Ethiopia, and they obviously didn't want to use the two different terms in the play cause... it would confuse people."

No, Nubia and Ethiopia are not the same country. From the dictionary:

Nubia

n : an ancient region of northeastern Africa (southern Egypt and northern Sudan) on the Nile; much of Nubia is now under Lake Nasser [syn: Nubia]

Ethiopia

n : Ethiopia is a republic in northeastern Africa on the Red Sea; formerly called Abyssinia [syn: Ethiopia, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Yaltopya, Abyssinia]

The confusion seems to come fron the fact that many people especially African Americans, have been known to refer to all black people as Nubian regardless of their country of origin.

As you can see on this African map, the countries are not the same.






Updated On: 2/28/06 at 12:52 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 1:04pm

From Michael Lassell's Aida: The Making of the Broadway Musical:

"One of Woolverton's innovations was to change Aida's homeland from Ethiopia (as in the opera) to Nubia. 'I took a lot of inspiration from historical research,' she explains, 'and Nubia was very much a part of the history of Egypt. The Egyptians just absorbed Nubia and took credit for all the cultural richness they found there.'"

[Vespertine1228]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 1:45pm

A high school near me did a basically all-white production of Aida last year and it was quite honestly one of the most insulting things I've ever seen. The story really does lose something by so-called colorblind casting. I just don't think it works when race is such an integral part of the story. You wouldn't see an all-white version of A Raisin in the Sun or a Hispanic version of Miss Saigon.

And another vote of love for I Know the Truth, which I will venture to say is the best song in the show. It also makes the most sense on its own outside the context of the show.

[Chloe]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 2:23pm

It's hard for me to imagine it actually being insulting. Why do you say that? Race is never mentioned in the show, and the ensemble has always been a mix. The racial associations were there to be made, but not insisted on. I would think all-white casting would simply make the story about ill-starred love without the wider implications.

[keatonbynumbers]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 3:15pm

I really think all-white casts are fine. Race is one issue in Aida, but it is not the issue and doesn't actually have to be an issue at all. With a black Aida, there is the added racial element, but the story should be strong enough to stand up on its own, race notwithstanding.

[Fizz]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 10:08pm

No, Nubia and Ethiopia are not the same country.

Well then the packet of info they gave the actors was incorrect.


A high school near me did a basically all-white production of Aida last year and it was quite honestly one of the most insulting things I've ever seen.

Live in suburban Chicago? A school near here did Aida and I heard it was incredibly awful and Radames was doing some weird almost ballet like thing through the entire song "Like Father, Like Son."


Our production had almost every race possible mixed in with Nubians- black, white, hispanic, etc etc. Our soloist at the end of The Gods Love Nubia(that really crazy high one) was a redheaded, pale white girl. *shrugs* it wasn't an issue for us, and I think it worked just fine.

[TennesseeTwang]

Posted: 2/28/06 at 11:30pm

"Well then the packet of info they gave the actors was incorrect."

Wouldn't be the first time.

[Fizz]

Posted: 3/1/06 at 4:30pm

Wouldn't be the first time.

Haha, no, wouldn't be.