Aida Revival? — Page 3

The Critics and the "Broadway Bitches" hated the show, which is why they refused to nominate it for 'Best Musical.' Interesting in hindsight to note that it wasn't even nominated for in that category despite winning more Tonys than any other show that year, including Best Actress and Best Score (both well deserved).

I think part of the problem was that there was the hatred (still in evidence) because it was a Disney show.

I show the show here in Chicago and thought it was fine. Heather Headley was spectacular, the show looked and sounded great.

I hope Elton John writes more shows. (Preferrably not with Tim Rice, but maybe that's just me.)

Ahmen JoeKv99!!! I hope that when it is revived it wins BEST REVIVAL because I think it was well deserved the first time around...

Well I have also heard that Elton doesn't really "get" Broadway, in that he writes a song and is "finished" with it-- he doesn't rewrite or really collaborate in any way. That would explain the uneven quality in his shows. I wonder though if he had a REALLY strong collaborator who could explain the process to him and help him to understand how lyrics, music and dialogue have to come together...but who could possibly put Elton through Broadway 101? You'd need a legendary talent with a personality even stronger than the Rocket Man's....

I think the score of Billy Elliot is wonderful and very well integrated with the rest of the show. Again, actually seeing the score in context is important. It's true that Elton doesn't work in the traditional Braodway manner, but I think he understands the process a lot better now that he's been involved with BE. In fact, I've heard he and the rest of the creative team have been working together on changes for the NYC version. One thing that's very important for his shows is to have a director of the caliber of Stephen Daldry. I think that's made a big difference.

There is a very good reason why Elton's not around much in general, though, which is that he knows he's a control freak but not the best person to be in charge in this particular situation. It's something he learned long ago while making his early albums. The other band members would work out the backing vocals, and when he was around he drove them crazy, so he started staying away.

As for his music being arranged and orchestrated by others, isn't that what usually happens?

From what I've heard, there was a general lack of communication during the developmental stages of Aida. According to a story Sherie Rene Scott told, an entire number was cut during the workshop in Atlanta and no one had informed Elton. During a run-through that he attended, he noticed the inconsistency and threw a fit - the decision was instantly reversed. The fact that all his collaborators were intimidated by him made the revision process of the show difficult, hence why some clunky songs remained intact.

I remain convinced that Aida's redeeming qualities are greater than its inconsistencies and clumsiness. After all, the show was a hit and had a significantly longer run than many shows, including best musical Tony winners. The cast was tremendously appealing, and the show was visually spectacular - for sure an aesthetic success. A revival cast would be hard-put to make the same sensation, considering that Heather Headley won the Tony and both Adam Pascal and Sherie Rene Scott have huge followings. By the time anyone would get around to reviving Aida, doubtless it would be impossible (and far-fetched) to bring the originals back...

Judging by reactions to the tour, a change of concept (costumes, etc.) is less than popular also. I don't know how a complete re-imagining of the show would go over.

I think a revival would be a long way down the road, to say the least. Especially since the original cast members are still around and have decent fan bases, I think a revival now would be stepping on the toes of the original production.

Not to mention that re-envisioning would probably result in a big huff from Elton.

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Living, 1000+ miles from New York and being on a limited budget I have only been to NYC once, Aida was the only show I saw while in the city (Simone as Aida, Adam Pascal as Radames, and I don't remember who played Amneris, but it was a standby/understudy). Last year when I heard that the St. Louis Muny was doing the show all I could really remember from Aida (it being 3 years later) was the number My Strongest Suit (the fashion show in particular)and how much I liked Aida's voice. Upon seeing it 3 times at the Muny last summer it hit me how much I like the show, I just happened to see Simone in it again :) . I was only 12 when I saw it in NYC and last year I understood more of it. So in defense of My Strongest Suit, sure the fashion show may seem kind of distracting from the plot, but it was all I remembered from seeing it when I was 12 which means that it was good for the show. Now seeing it at the Muny (w/ Simone, Will Chase, and Lisa Brescia) the story had more of an impact on me and I know that I will remember the story and the wonderful music.
You probably don't care^^ but I just thought I'd share

Aida strikes me as a show that has the overarching problem of not knowing what it wants to be. There are songs that come across as so ridiculously cartoonish ("Another Pyramid," "My Strongest Suit") which is completely fine if that were the overall stylistic take on the musical. Disney movies get away with things like that because they don't take themselves as seriously. The problem, though, is that almost without exception, the rest of the score is comprised of songs that actually carry a lot of emotional weight, and the material itself is pretty heavy. Maybe it's just a problem that I have, but I can't mentally switch from "Overwear, underwear. Anytime, anywhere." to scenes that ask me to be emotionally invested in the love story and the plight of the Nubian slaves. It goes beyond comic relief and into genre confusion. Either cut the cutesy songs or tone down the serious ones, and you have a more balanced musical. As is, it takes itself too seriously to sustain the unabashedly silly songs.

Aida isn't Rice's best lyrical work, but there are certainly smart lyrics in there. I wouldn't fault him so much as the (misguided) overall conception of some of the songs.

Updated On: 4/9/07 at 01:39 AM

I can understand your reaction, but don't have the same problem with the tone. The shifts are also much more apparent on the CD than in the show itself, in my opinion. Obviously if the tonal discrepancies in Aida bother you, they don't work for you, but mixing comedy and tragedy is not in itself necessarily a negative. Shakespeare did it all the time.

"My Strongest Suit" is something that needs to be seen live, rather than just heard. (IMHO)

What do you mean by "technically Disney," that it wasn't a Disney film first? It's usually referred to as "Elton John and Tim Rice's AIDA," but I've also seen it referred to as "Disney's AIDA." I guess that could be because they produced it, which isn't to say someone else could produce it, but things aren't only Disney if they've been Disney films first.

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"What do you mean by "technically Disney," that it wasn't a Disney film first?"

Yes, that's what I meant.

Seeing "My Strongest Suit" bothers me more than just hearing it, so I don't think that's the problem for me.

It isn't really the mix of comedy and tragedy that I have an issue with (as was pointed out, it's an age-old device in theater), but....I'm just not sure. Maybe it's the type of humor, one I find showy and unfunny. Essentially, if they were to do an animated film, those songs would fit right in, whereas the overabundance of sincere material would have to be whittled down. If the comic relief had more subtlety, I think that I would be able to enjoy the show considerably more. That, and the songs themselves associated with those scenes drive me nuts. It just seems odd to me that Amneris and Zoser are relegated to comic relief, and the ONLY comedic moments in the show are theirs. I've given Aida more chances than most shows that I don't really like at first, and while it has its moments, as a whole it hasn't managed to grow on me.