I saw the latest Aida tour last night and

[Spacedog78]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 2:40pm

It was HORRIBLE! I seriously felt like I was one of those people forced to go see a friend in a show and wishing you were somewhere else. I have seen high school productions that were better than this crap.

The set design was cheap, flashy, and unecessary.

The choreography was interesting, but would have been better if there was a reason for it and the dances could all do it in sync.

The directing was the worse I have ever seen. His choices for staging wer pointless, ineffective, and amature.

The costumes were one of the worse I have ever seen. It was like I was watching JC Superstar meets AIDA! I mean I wasn't complaining that Radames was shirtless for most of the show, and I didn't mind Aida's outfit, but the rest of the costumes looked like there was a sale at the Goodwill!

And now the cast.....oh GOD! Aida and Radames were good singers and somewhat good actors, but the girl playing Amneris was a disaster, her singing was off pitch and sometimes sounded country. Zoser was a joke and Mereb was one of the worst actors I have ever seen.

I have been a fan of Aida since it opened but never got a chance to see it when it originally toured, so even though I know this was a new take on the show I decided to take the chance and see it. That was a mistake. I am not sure if they used the complete original story or not, but it seemed really lacking full of plot holes, the characters were under-developed and I was left with a lot of questions (one of which was why I spent $60 on this crap). I saw it at a casino so I was hoping that the story really is better but they just edited it for time.

Did anyone else see the tour and the original show, if so, are they the same or did they edit it? Is the story really this lacking?

[DRSisLove]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 2:47pm

I saw both.
The story's not edited at all.

I thought the tour was great, minus costumes and Zoser.

[Spacedog78]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 2:50pm

Then, the story is very lacking and under-developed, and I am adding this show to my list of shows that need to be reworked and revived.

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 3:13pm

Zoser's performance was truly laughable. The costumes left me cold; their redesign was pointless and uninspired. I thought that Radames and Aida were both very talented, whereas Amneris' voice grated my nerves.

I agree that there are many plot holes and some of the story is underdeveloped. Though, I don't think it was underdeveloped to the point where it hindered my feelings towards some of the characters. I also agree that it needs to be reworked and revived. I haven't seen the original production, but judging from the book (which hasn't really been changed for the tour) there are some things that can be improved (as is the case with most shows).

[singtopher]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 7:24pm

Finally someone else on this board who agress with me on the quality of this tour.

Spacedog- you're my new best friend.

[Adam Chris]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 10:08pm

I saw the Aida tour about 5 years ago at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles. It was awesome! I loved it. It recreatd the Broadway version.

Last night I went to the tour at Pechanga. OMG. I was so disappointed. What was up with the lap dancing during Another Piramid?

The actor that placed Zoser was just awful. In fact I agree with a whoever said the plot had holes and the characters were under-developed.

However, when I saw Aida the 1st time non of those where an issue. I think a lot of it was the director's fault. Even the costumes and (lack of) set was blane.

They keep moving around Egyptian statuary to trick us into thinking, "See, now we have a different set."

It was not worth the $60 a ticket I paid for 7 people.
I was very disappointed.

Plus, as I walked out of the Casino I smelled like ciggys.

[Spacedog78]

Posted: 3/4/07 at 11:48pm

oh my i forgot about the solid gold dancers doing the lap dance!!! what a tragedy this tour is!! i wrote a very long email to the production company today, not that it will matter, but i needed to get out my utter disgust of the quality of their show.

[rgaywrites]

Posted: 3/13/07 at 9:14pm

I saw this tour several months ago and I enjoyed it, primarily for the three leads, but Zoser made me cringe. He was just unnaturally bad. I find it hard to believe that they couldn't find someone better. They may as well have plucked someone from the audience to have a go at it. The fellow that played Mereb couldn't act his way out of a paper bag, but thankfully, he had an adequate voice.

Because I live in the middle of nowhere, and this is the only kind of live theatre we get, I was able to suspend my disbelief with regard to the sets and costumes (?!) and the props (?!?) and the lap dance during Another Pyramid (?!?!?). It was a great evening that provided opportunities to enjoy theatre and snark. Thankfully, I had seen the original production on Broadway and I used memories of that to cleanse my mental palate.

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 3/13/07 at 9:20pm

i saw the tour a few months ago and it was incredible and absolutely blew me away. i think you just have to forget about the Broadway version and be willing to accept this new artsy perspective on the show (jeans, guns, etc.)

[Dirty Rotten Scoundrel]

Posted: 3/13/07 at 9:28pm

How is that "artsy?" It was completely uninspired. Art has some sort of point, some sort of inspiration; what was the POINT of putting them in jeans and giving them guns? What did it tell us? Nothing. As I left the theater I didn't hear a single person praising the costumes; I heard most people talking about how confused they were by them. Try and try as I may to find some sort of deeper meaning all I am left thinking is that the costume designer made a poor, poor decision.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 3/13/07 at 9:39pm

The musical is good until you get into the opera, and then, well...

Let me put it this way: compare "Celeste Aida" to "Elaborate Lives."

Also, the opera's ending is SO much better (plot-w9ise, that is.) So much more romantic!

[Squire on the Fire?]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 9:57pm

I saw this tour and was impressed by the 3 leads, especially Radames and Aida. I think I was only impressed by Amneris because she was so good compared to the rest of the show. I couldn't stand the new costumes and props and sets. I've seen the OBC on a bootleg video and the sets were breathtaking! This set is 6 blocks, pretty much. Zoser was the worst preformance I have ever seen. Like you said, Mereb's voice was OK, but his acting was terrible. I was expecting the Broadway show and was disappointed.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 3/18/07 at 10:03pm

i saw the original, it was fantastic, still a favorite of mine.

i'm sorry it was so awful =(
i've never seen a show on tour before, but does it differ a lot from the broadway productions a great deal? hm.

[musicman_17082]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 1:39am

I read the headline of this thread and was sOOOO excited to open it up!

And now I wish I wouldn't have!!! Why??

I JUST GOT TICKETS TO THIS SHOW LITERALLY A COUPLE HOURS AGO FOR THIS TUESDAY NIGHT!!!! I am driving 2 hours to see it!

I was, and still (sorta) am, SOOOO excited about it. I've fallen in love with the OBC recording and have been DYING to see it done professionally! I just happened to get amazing seats and was totally stoked to see the production.

Now I'm afraid tho... like um... ???? I REALLY HOPE I STILL LIKE IT!

I'm glad that at least SOME of you had good reviews about it. And I pray on my life that they have a super "on" night that might make it better than your experience. *crosses fingers... HARD*

I will be SO heartbroken and sad if this isn't a good experience!

[TheatreDude123]

Posted: 3/19/07 at 3:22am

I felt compelled to write a review, since I recently saw the show and was quite amazed. To those with an open mind, the negativity that this thread seems to have regarding the show is not indicative of the overall audience response. People were blown away at the performance I attended and immeadiately rushed to their feet when the curtain went down. All of the leads are strong in their own regard and the ensemble is quite incredible. While one may be less than awed by the set and costumes, I found this production to be much more character driven than the OBC.

And as far as Mereb, I'm amazed that people have been ragging on his acting. While subtle, he by far gets the most laughs in the show and I personally found his death scene quite moving, especially for an ill written role. And his voice was beautiful, not necessarily "rock-n-roll," but I can tell that he could easily transcend into other genres of musical theatre with his pop-legit-isms. I'm also of the belief that people should spare Zoser some slack, as I do believe his role suffers from also being ill written. I, furthermore, am not amazed that people keep commenting on how amazing Allers is as Amneris, as her role is clearly the only that has a true arc. The others are far less specific, and the script does not give a compelling reason for an emotional arc. I believe the acting and vocals of Harmon and Elliott do their best to compensate for the script's misgivings, considering they don't have a flashy set and costumes to aid their gargantuan task. I would say the same for the entire cast. No one can be that bad if they beat out so many people to get the role. And the reviews on their official website are a testament to the show's quality.

On the whole, I just find it amazing that people can be so negative on here when I heard nothing but great things from people leaving out of the theatre, and the audience's reaction at the curtain call seemed more than pleased. It makes me realize why the top grossing shows on broadway are what they are; people clearly want all sparkle and spunk, but no art.

[antonijan]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 6:23pm

I am still gonna see it when it comes to Washington since this will be my only chance to see it.

Anybody remember if they sell the souvenir program? Is it the same one from the OBC production or did they make one for the tour?

Just wondering.

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 6:31pm

They don't sell souvenir programs at the theatre, but you can order them through the mail. I ordered one (it takes a awhile) and it's of the current tour cast. It wouldn't make much sense to sell the OBC one since the sets are apparently so much different.

Updated On: 3/21/07 at 06:31 PM

[Gingersnap2]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 6:51pm

They did sell them in the lobby when the tour came to upstate New York right after Thanksgiving.

[Lizzya9]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 9:34pm

plus, this was a non-equity tour, and most of these people are very new on the scene, so you can't be too critical of them. What was wrong with Zoser?? I thought he was awesome. A bit short, maybe. But awesome.

= )

[JustChillin8908]

Posted: 3/21/07 at 10:59pm

I guess they started selling them after I saw it then.
Updated On: 3/21/07 at 10:59 PM

[antonijan]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 12:18am

I am really excited....I will have a chance to see it in a week. How much did u buy the program?

[Squire on the Fire?]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 12:39am

The souvenir programs of the tour cast are sold at the merchandise booths.

[musicman_17082]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:08am

I have A LOT to say:

TheatrDude123, I couldn't agree with you more about the immense OVER-negativity of this thread. It scared the krap out of me to read this before I went... but after seeing the show myself I COMPLETELY DISAGREE. It was an incredible night of theater: powerful, moving, compelling, believable, and inspiring. It was incredible.

First off: the leads were BEYOND strong!

Marja Harmon IS Aida to me. WOW. Just WOW. Her vocals were just as good if not better than the original recording and her acting was simply stunning. I personally think her look is much better than the original Aida's too. She has a more striking appearance and SUCH an incredible stage presence. This girl has got a future ahead of her. I spent time in NYC last year watching 2 weeks of Broadway and Harmon's performance stands out in my mind as one of the BEST I've seen in ANY show to date. She was JUST AMAZING. I can't quite explain it!

Casey Elliot as Radames was so strong. His voice was spot on the entire night and his acting not far behind. I went in thinking it would be impossible to beat the sound of the original recording on this part. However, he proved me wrong. Charming performance.

Amneris was fabulous. Perhaps her emotional arc was more written in the script, but HOLY COW did she pull it off. I was extremely moved by her performance in the second act. In Act 1 she was good. But by Act 2 she was phenomenal.

NOW, in the same breath, I will have to agree on the two weak links of the production: Zoser and Mereb. Zoser is a very talented singer yet I think the casting directors were KRAZY for putting him in this part. He pulled off as well as he could but he simply doesn't LOOK the part which causes his entire performance to be less believable. His acting was a bit flat in comparison to his fellow actors. While I acknowledge he is talented, I feel this part definitely isn't his 'strongest suit'! (Nor was that super tight pinstripe thing he wore...)

As for Mereb, my only complaint was that his vocals, while fabulous, got a bit "poppy" at times which lessened the sincerity of his performance. That's about all I can say in regards to his character "weaknesses" and I will agree he wasn't given much to work with.

Other than that... I agree the jeans were a stupid choice on the part of costumes. I mean, for real. Just a stupid choice. And I could have done WITHOUT the tacky mops and brooms in the middle of the show. Oh well though. That is literally ALL I can complain about.

I never saw Aida on Broadway nor have I seen any other tour. And perhaps I was so amazed because it was all so new to me: new characters, new story, etc. I didn't really expect ANYTHING cause I simply didn't know what to expect.

However, what I got was a truly spectacular performance that deserved the standing ovation it got. The cherry on top was when I got to sit in on a question/answer session afterward with 8 (including the 3 leads) of the cast members. They are now my MySpace friends and everything! lol. But really, they were SO kind and friendly to meet with. Fabulous people and fabulous performers.

I am honored to add Aida to my list of new favorite productions!
Updated On: 3/22/07 at 02:08 AM

[musicman_17082]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 2:19am

Oh yes! I almost forgot...

The souvenir programs are $10 a piece and available in the lobby. They are of the current touring cast... not the OBC.

Its really a pretty good program too!
Updated On: 3/22/07 at 02:19 AM

[musicman_17082]

Posted: 3/22/07 at 1:43pm

Anyone know where this tour goes next?