Who thinks Aida was underrated?- Page 2

[Roscoe]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 4:52pm

There's just no way that AIDA was under-rated. I don't think it was as bad as other things I've seen, like GOOD VIBRATIONS or the unspeakable RING OF FIRE or CORAM BOY, but it was pretty silly. The score was passable at best, and there were two really bad performances, one from Adam Pascal and whoever it was who played Aida's Father, who seemed to be competing in some Coarse Acting Contest.

At least AIDA didn't sugar-coat the tragic ending. They found a way to make it work, which I respect a lot more than I respect a lot of other shows that back off from being too "dark" lest the kiddies get all depressed.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 6:14pm

I hated how they changed the ending though. In the opera it's so much more romantic when she chooses to die with him.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 6:15pm

Take it from someone who is performing right now-It is not under-rated. The book is TERRIBLE!!! There are major plot holes that are never dealt with. The songs are very repetitive in terms of subtext and plot movement. The story is great, but it is very underserved by the writing.

[me2]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 6:59pm

Count me in as someone who adores this show. I sat down and enjoyed it immensley. For me, that's all I need.
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[BrianIdol]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 7:05pm

madbrian -

It's underrated in the sense that stuff like Mamma Mia and Lion King will probably run for the rest of our lifetimes, and Aida only got 4 years. And how is getting burried alive in Ancient Egypt "by the book"??? I loved the story, the music, the cast and the design. I'm hoping for a knockout revival someday.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 7:16pm

Random, but does anyone know why the musical changed Ethiopia to Nubia?

[Craww]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 7:19pm

...Ethiopia has too many syllables?

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 7:29pm

Haha... I guess "The Gods Love Ethiopia" just doesn't sound very good, now does it?

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 8:15pm

I remember when I first saw Aida being shocked that it didn't win the Tony for best musical this year, but thinking Thank God it won best score.

I recently played the Wild Party...and kind of feel differently about the situation...

It's quite flawed, but I still absolutely love it. I think critics were...not unnecessarily harsh, but really went a little far in the bashing. Not that it was a great musical, but it wasn't the worst thing ever.

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 9:32pm

Here's some excerpts from Brantley's review. The only thing he praised was Headley.

PRETTY much everything that's right about 'Aida,' the new Disney cartoon pretending to be a Broadway musical, can be summed up in two words: Heather Headley.

Without Ms. Headley there would be nothing for grown-ups to focus on once they get past the visual jolt of the Las Vegas arcade that is passing for ancient Egypt, the work of the eminent set designer Bob Crowley.

Children under 12 may also find sitting through the evening's two and a half hours a chore because the show seems to keep anxiously changing its mind about just to whom it is trying to appeal. Like many Broadway megamusicals today, it has the disconnected, sterile feeling that suggests it has been assembled, piecemeal, by committee.

Mr. John's score for 'Aida' might have been assembled from a 'make your own Elton John song' software program. It has all the memory-grabbing adhesiveness of unchewed gum, but it would work fine as background music for enchanting bits of animated whimsy. (You know, singing sphinxes and the like.)

Mr. Pascal, who emerged as a bona fide matinee idol for the under-20 set (a rare thing on Broadway) in 'Rent,' looks embarrassed to be wearing all those regal robes and armor here, and his movements and line readings are correspondingly stiff and self-conscious. When he sings, he sounds remarkably like Elton John, which doesn't contribute much to his characterization.

Cheap laughs are milked from her desperate attempts to win Radames's love. ('There's a buck-naked princess lying in bed, calling your name,' she screams.) And she is asked to sing lyrics like, 'I would rather wear a barrel/Than conservative apparel.' But she finally turns out to be a monument of political virtue, invested in the cause of world peace. Who, other than Diana, Princess of Wales, could convincingly pull off such a transition?

For those who live to follow the trajectories of rising stars, a trip to 'Aida' may be worthwhile. Everyone else is advised to wait for the cartoon.


I love this review!

Updated On: 8/2/07 at 09:32 PM

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 10:28pm

Children under 12 may also find sitting through the evening's two and a half hours a chore because the show seems to keep anxiously changing its mind about just to whom it is trying to appeal. Like many Broadway megamusicals today, it has the disconnected, sterile feeling that suggests it has been assembled, piecemeal, by committee.

My main issue, exactly. I think he was unnecessarily harsh about the other performances, though.

[Sargar]

Posted: 8/2/07 at 10:42pm

for me, nothing could compare to Heather's performance. And Sherie was amazing- such great comic timing. I LOVED this musical when it was on broadway but in retrospect, it's definitely not great...but i think I was 18 or 19 when it was on broadway, and it was one of the first shows that really got me into musical theater.

[kyleorlando]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:56am

I saw Disney's Aida in Atlanta during its out of town tryouts. The best part was Sherie Rene Scott and whether or not the mechanical origami pyramid would work or not.

I saw it again after it opened on Broadway. The best thing I could say about it was that the seats at the Palace were comfortable.

In context you should understand that I liked the original casts of Starlight Express and Starmites. My bar is set pretty low.

Updated On: 8/3/07 at 01:56 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 1:55pm

When I saw Aida with the original cast, I immediately found it to be terrible overrated. The score was ok, but not great, and far from the best that season (Wild Party and Marie Christine were both immensely superior, in my opinion). The set design was baffling, but the lighting was excellent. With the exception of Sherie, the performances were average. Adam was horribly miscast and gave a rather amateurish performance. Heather's singing was great, but she mumbled her dialogue and spoke the majority of her lines with a rather bizarre affected cadence and tone (you can hear a bit of it on the CD as well). The combination of book, design, lighting and score appeared as if none of the production team met until opening night to see what it all looked like. It was a messy mish-mash of styles with no apparent concept to tie everything together. The addition of the museum scenes only confused me further. Were we to assume it was a modern twist on an ancient story? Then why the contemporary scenes which imply the story takes place in "ancient Egypt" (where nothing looks ancient or even remotely authentic). In a stronger season, I'm not sure the show would have fared as well. I think Rent and Elton John fans are probably mostly responsible for the show's success.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 2:40pm

I found Heather winning the Tony that year so overrated that I refused to see this show.

[DG]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 3:37pm

I thought the lighting design was incredible, and I really liked the song "I Know the Truth."

[Roscoe]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 3:42pm

Kalimba, I'm not clear on something. Did you see Heather before you decided that her winning of the Tony was over-rated?

[Tom148502]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 3:55pm

This thread reminds me that there is a show that I disliked more than THE WEDDING SINGER. I guess it's because I saw both acts of AIDA and only the first act of THE WEDDING SINGER When I saw AIDA my mind kept wandering and, when I again took notice of what was happening on stage, I couldn't figure out if the same musical number was still going on or if it was a different musical number that sounded like almost every other song in the show :)

[scooter38432]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 4:52pm

I was an AIDA convert.

When I saw the original cast, I was terribly disappointed because Adam Pascal was out (we saw Matt Bogart). Sherie Rene Scott was the only thing I came away liking from the show.

Then, I eventually threw the CD in my player, and I became hooked. The orchestrations are great and I continue to hear new things.

I ended up seeing it three more times, and loved it more with each viewing.

Yes, Heather Headley was good. To be honest, her voice kind of bugs me. She was the best of the actresses I saw play the role, though. (I also saw Simone twice and Saycon Senghbloh? once.)

Pascal was far and away the best Radames I saw. Will Chase and Matt Bogart were both lousy.

The design elements were completely outstanding, and well deserving of the Tony Awards they won.

I am a loner in my AIDA opinions amongst my snobby theater friends. They all turn their noses up at it. I don't feel that they're giving it a fair shot. They heard/saw the show once and decided that was that.

[South Fl Marc]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 5:08pm

Completely OVER rated.

The score is dreadful.

[Dollypop]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 7:06pm

I walked out during intermission. I knew Giuseppe Verdi was turning in his grave.

[Neverandy]

Posted: 8/3/07 at 11:21pm

The score is dreadful but the book is WORSE. It's amazing that the 3 people involved managed to write that clunker!

[Coolness_]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 12:19am

This show was amazing.
Maybe a little underrated.

[TheFriarsDruggist]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 1:43am

I don't know if I'd call it underrated.

I do know I love that show. It's in my top 5.

How I Know You is my #2 most played song on iTunes as well...And Another Pyramid is #4...

[me2]

Posted: 8/4/07 at 11:32am

Everyone I know who has seen the show--normal people who aren't Broadway fanatics like myself--loved this show beyond belief. To me, that always says a lot.
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