#1
Posted: 2/18/06 at 4:57am
Okay, now I am rested and ready to expand 
Book--Similarity to Broadway Production:
Overall, the book was essentially kept intact. There were 3 minor differences in lines I found, which I explain in my next post down.
Obviously, the major difference was the opening and closing of the show. For those unaware, instead of Aida and Radames meeting each other as the same age in the present, they meet as kids. They each are visiting a museum with their families and are drawn to the tomb. Then the doors open and Amneris comes out and the show begins. At the end, we are back in the museum, and as each family is about to leave, the kids make them stay. They go towards the tomb kneeling down, somehow drawn to it, and then they are hit with glitter, essentially finalizing the rebirth of Aida and Radames.
I did like the original method, but I really liked how it was done here too. Now, it is important to keep in mind that I adore kids and am a sucker for cute youngens. The two kids look remarkably like their adult counterparts, especially Aida. And well others expressed a distaste because there's no certainty that they will find each once again after this meeting with the tomb, but that's now how I took it. They handled it very well, and with the glitter, I kind of took it to mean that their two souls have met here and know they must find each other later in life. It seems to keep up with the magic and meaning of the show. But again, I don't know how influenced I am in my love for children.
Actors:
Eric Sciotto as Radames was simply wonderful. He had a fantastic voice, combining two different styles to fit the singing quite well. When really called for, he sang in rock-style--for most of "Father Like Son" and parts of "Fortune Favors the Brave" for instance, and little bits where it fits well. He also applied more of a typical Broadway, pretty-sound that helped to make "Elaborate Lives" soar beautifully, and again in other appropriate songs. Moreover, I was really impressed with his acting in the role. I don't think Radames is the best-written character in the show, but this Eric was able to portray the change in the character--both extremes and the gradualness of it. His falling in love with Aida was quite believable without compromising the character in the beginning. You could see how different he was in the beginning, and his attraction to Aida was expressed in a rougher, sexual way, which makes it work much better than immediately seeming sympathetic. He also just put a lot of emotion and passion into the character. He really got mad at Zoser, and you could see his new self coming through completely. Oh, and one part that stuck with me was when he received the news of the Nubian King being captured. In his face and method of delivery, the character's inner debate is easily seen and understood by the audience. Finally, as a plus, he was quite attractive (my mom thought moreso than Adam...).
Roz Morehead-Santos as Aida was also great. She had an amazing voice, and her finest moments occured in "The Gods Love Nubia," where she applied more of an effective gospel-type singing to the song, and in "Easy As Life." Her acting was best during the times Aida had to be aggressive, particularly with Radames.--particularly when she got to show off her fantastic singing voice and in the character's very aggressive moments, particularly with Radames.
Realizing what great voices they each have, I was really excited for their harmony in "Elaborate Lives." The first time, they weren't off by much at all, but enough that they were trying to find their perfect harmony, found a couple of notes in. Fortunately, the harmony in "Elaborate Lives Reprise" was spot-on and eargasmic.
Stephanie Youell as Amneris did a great job of portraying her character's extremes--from fashion queen in "Strongest Suit" to her sadness in "I Know The Truth", and she really did a great job conveying the importance of her taking initiative as Pharoah of Egypt. Furthermore, her harmonies with Eric and Roz were perfect and gorgeous, particularly in "A Step Too Far," and "Not Me."
Eric Jackson as Mereb made the most of his small part. He too had a gorgeous voice and meshed well in "Not Me," and he really got to me as he repeated that he wants to go home. For some reason, that moment does not usually move me so much, but it did here.
John Schiappa was perfectly fine as Zoser. His voice excelled in the lower ranges, and his range there sounded more powerful than his upper range. He still founded fine in his songs though, and gave a good "rock-ish" sound to "Like Father, Like Son."
For the most part, the chorus/ensemble was excellent. Their strongest moments were singing all together in "Dance Of The Robe," and "The Gods Love Nubia." The men were fine in their songs, though the sound of the women in "My Strongest Suit" lacked a bit. I took that as a result of the fact that they obviously couldn't have a huge ensemble, and it didn't make that big of a deal.
Considering the venue, the sets were fantastic. They had a surrounding sense of Egyptian pyramids, and proper changes were made for the different locations in the show. They did a great job with the ship in the water, providing smoke and water on a screen as the boat turned, making it seem quite realistic. Ascending and descending from the stage, the screen, smoke, lights that fell down from the ceiling, and different aspects of lights and scenery they could use all combined to provide a beautiful, appropriate backdrop for the show. The one understandable prop that was underdesigned was the tomb, which just composed of three sticks put up in the shape of a tent.
As stated, the costumes were gorgeous, particularly those of Amneris--the hats and different fashions were as original as those on Broadway. All of the costumes were not exactly like, but similar to their Broadway counterparts. A major plus was that Radames' shirt was open for practically the whole play
Finally, obviously the direction had to reflect the stage's capablities, and it did a great job of that. They through in several moments of playing to audience members sitting on the side, and no one had to constantly look at backs. The choreography was stronger at some times than others, it would have been nice to see a little more in the middle section of "Dance Of The Robe," my personal favorite song/sequence.
So all in all...of course it's not perfect, but still very well done and quite enjoyable. I very much believe that any fans of the show/Broadway production will have a wonderful time at this production, and I highly recommend it to all of them.
Oh, and the eggplant parmesan was delicious
(Kinda long. Sorry, about that, but since people were iffy about this, I wanted to provide as much detail as possible)
Book--Similarity to Broadway Production:
Overall, the book was essentially kept intact. There were 3 minor differences in lines I found, which I explain in my next post down.
Obviously, the major difference was the opening and closing of the show. For those unaware, instead of Aida and Radames meeting each other as the same age in the present, they meet as kids. They each are visiting a museum with their families and are drawn to the tomb. Then the doors open and Amneris comes out and the show begins. At the end, we are back in the museum, and as each family is about to leave, the kids make them stay. They go towards the tomb kneeling down, somehow drawn to it, and then they are hit with glitter, essentially finalizing the rebirth of Aida and Radames.
I did like the original method, but I really liked how it was done here too. Now, it is important to keep in mind that I adore kids and am a sucker for cute youngens. The two kids look remarkably like their adult counterparts, especially Aida. And well others expressed a distaste because there's no certainty that they will find each once again after this meeting with the tomb, but that's now how I took it. They handled it very well, and with the glitter, I kind of took it to mean that their two souls have met here and know they must find each other later in life. It seems to keep up with the magic and meaning of the show. But again, I don't know how influenced I am in my love for children.
Actors:
Eric Sciotto as Radames was simply wonderful. He had a fantastic voice, combining two different styles to fit the singing quite well. When really called for, he sang in rock-style--for most of "Father Like Son" and parts of "Fortune Favors the Brave" for instance, and little bits where it fits well. He also applied more of a typical Broadway, pretty-sound that helped to make "Elaborate Lives" soar beautifully, and again in other appropriate songs. Moreover, I was really impressed with his acting in the role. I don't think Radames is the best-written character in the show, but this Eric was able to portray the change in the character--both extremes and the gradualness of it. His falling in love with Aida was quite believable without compromising the character in the beginning. You could see how different he was in the beginning, and his attraction to Aida was expressed in a rougher, sexual way, which makes it work much better than immediately seeming sympathetic. He also just put a lot of emotion and passion into the character. He really got mad at Zoser, and you could see his new self coming through completely. Oh, and one part that stuck with me was when he received the news of the Nubian King being captured. In his face and method of delivery, the character's inner debate is easily seen and understood by the audience. Finally, as a plus, he was quite attractive (my mom thought moreso than Adam...).
Roz Morehead-Santos as Aida was also great. She had an amazing voice, and her finest moments occured in "The Gods Love Nubia," where she applied more of an effective gospel-type singing to the song, and in "Easy As Life." Her acting was best during the times Aida had to be aggressive, particularly with Radames.--particularly when she got to show off her fantastic singing voice and in the character's very aggressive moments, particularly with Radames.
Realizing what great voices they each have, I was really excited for their harmony in "Elaborate Lives." The first time, they weren't off by much at all, but enough that they were trying to find their perfect harmony, found a couple of notes in. Fortunately, the harmony in "Elaborate Lives Reprise" was spot-on and eargasmic.
Stephanie Youell as Amneris did a great job of portraying her character's extremes--from fashion queen in "Strongest Suit" to her sadness in "I Know The Truth", and she really did a great job conveying the importance of her taking initiative as Pharoah of Egypt. Furthermore, her harmonies with Eric and Roz were perfect and gorgeous, particularly in "A Step Too Far," and "Not Me."
Eric Jackson as Mereb made the most of his small part. He too had a gorgeous voice and meshed well in "Not Me," and he really got to me as he repeated that he wants to go home. For some reason, that moment does not usually move me so much, but it did here.
John Schiappa was perfectly fine as Zoser. His voice excelled in the lower ranges, and his range there sounded more powerful than his upper range. He still founded fine in his songs though, and gave a good "rock-ish" sound to "Like Father, Like Son."
For the most part, the chorus/ensemble was excellent. Their strongest moments were singing all together in "Dance Of The Robe," and "The Gods Love Nubia." The men were fine in their songs, though the sound of the women in "My Strongest Suit" lacked a bit. I took that as a result of the fact that they obviously couldn't have a huge ensemble, and it didn't make that big of a deal.
Considering the venue, the sets were fantastic. They had a surrounding sense of Egyptian pyramids, and proper changes were made for the different locations in the show. They did a great job with the ship in the water, providing smoke and water on a screen as the boat turned, making it seem quite realistic. Ascending and descending from the stage, the screen, smoke, lights that fell down from the ceiling, and different aspects of lights and scenery they could use all combined to provide a beautiful, appropriate backdrop for the show. The one understandable prop that was underdesigned was the tomb, which just composed of three sticks put up in the shape of a tent.
As stated, the costumes were gorgeous, particularly those of Amneris--the hats and different fashions were as original as those on Broadway. All of the costumes were not exactly like, but similar to their Broadway counterparts. A major plus was that Radames' shirt was open for practically the whole play
Finally, obviously the direction had to reflect the stage's capablities, and it did a great job of that. They through in several moments of playing to audience members sitting on the side, and no one had to constantly look at backs. The choreography was stronger at some times than others, it would have been nice to see a little more in the middle section of "Dance Of The Robe," my personal favorite song/sequence.
So all in all...of course it's not perfect, but still very well done and quite enjoyable. I very much believe that any fans of the show/Broadway production will have a wonderful time at this production, and I highly recommend it to all of them.
Oh, and the eggplant parmesan was delicious
(Kinda long. Sorry, about that, but since people were iffy about this, I wanted to provide as much detail as possible)
"If there was a Mount Rushmore for Broadway scores, "West Side Story" would be front and center. It snaps, it crackles it pops! It surges with a roar, its energy and sheer life undiminished by the years" - NYPost reviewer Elisabeth Vincentelli
Updated On: 2/18/06 at 04:57 AM
