Aida

Feb. 23 - Feb. 26, 2017
Thursday-Saturday

At the Nile’s edge, the enslaved Nubian princess, Aida becomes romantically entangled with the Egyptian captain, Radames, who is betrothed to the Pharaoh’s daughter, Amneris. As their forbidden love grows deeper, Aida is forced to find balance between her heart’s yearning for Radames, and her responsibility to lead her people.

Based on the opera by Giuseppe Verdi, Elton John and Time Rice's Aida is a timeless love story, featuring an award-winning pop/rock score from the seasoned pop duo who brought musical life to Disney’s The Lion King. Rousing rock numbers and heart-wrenching ballads bring the ill-fated lovers into a new era.

    -- synopsis from StageAgent.com

 

Wikipedia:

Aida (also known as Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida) is a musical based on the opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verdi. It has music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and was originally produced by Walt Disney Theatrical.

The show is based on Giuseppe Verdi's Italian-language opera of the same name, the scenario of which was written by Auguste Mariette. The musical originated from a children's storybook version of Verdi's opera written by the soprano Leontyne Price. The book featured illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon. In 1994 the book rights were acquired by the Walt Disney Company for a proposed animated feature film. However, Elton John chose not to pursue another animated project after The Lion King so Disney executives suggested a Broadway adaptation instead. Despite his opinion that "opera people can be very elitist", John, along with Tim Rice, immediately signed on.

Principal roles:

Aida	Daughter of Amonasro and Princess of Nubia. With her royalty unknown to all except Mereb, who recognizes her as princess, she is taken into slavery with the rest of Nubia, but attracts the attention of Radames. (Mezzo-soprano Belt)
Radames	Captain of the Egyptian army, son of Zoser, and fiancé to Amneris. He is expected to succeed the Egyptian throne after the Pharaoh's death, but finds himself intrigued by a Nubian slave, Aida, instead. (Rock Tenor)
Amneris	Princess of Egypt, daughter of the Pharaoh, and fiancée to Radames. She is renowned by all for her fashionable ways. Aida is given to her as a gift to be her handmaiden, by whom her true nature is seen: Amneris is merely using this fashion-driven identity to hide her own insecurities. (Mezzo-soprano Belt)
Zoser	Chief Minister of Egypt and father of Radames. He highly anticipates his son's succession to the Egyptian throne and does all he can to make it arrive sooner, including poisoning the Pharaoh. (Rock Belt)
Mereb	A Nubian servant to Radames, who was taken captive by Egyptians as a youth and has served among them ever since. The first to recognize Aida as Princess of Nubia, and the first to tell the other Nubian slaves about it with hopes that she can set them free. (Bari-Tenor)
Nehebka	Nubian slave who speaks to Aida as a representative for the Nubian people. (Mezzo-soprano)
Pharaoh	Father of Amneris and King of Egypt. One of the arrangers of Amneris and Radames's much-delayed wedding, he is secretly being poisoned by Zoser to speed up Radames's succession to the throne.
Amonasro	Father of Aida and King of Nubia. He is taken into slavery by Egyptians after Aida and Radames have fallen in love, and commands Aida to break all ties she has to the Egyptians.

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Aida
by Elton John, Tim Rice, Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, David Henry Hwang

Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Tickets $10, $12 at the door, $20 for Gold Patron seating (first three rows)

Online ticket sales begin January 25, 2017

box office reservations at (210) 356-1036 beginning February 21, cash or check only