One of the tunes in the latest Broadway production by Disney, Aida, sings that "we lead such elaborate lives" ("Elaborate Lives," by the way, was once this show's moniker). Well, looking at what's presented onstage, you would absolutely have to concur. Apparently no expense was spared for this baby, from Bob Crowley's positively jaw-dropping costume designs and sets to Natasha Katz's inventive, rich lighting to the three credited writers of the book (Linda Woolverton, director Robert Falls and Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang). For sheer spectacle, you can't do much better than this. Yet you can't help having the feeling all through the handsomely-produced epic that the spectacle is the show. Unable to find a distinctive, bravura style like Julie Taymor employed with The Lion King, Aida is a tremendous success of excess, but concise storytelling seems to have eluded everyone involved.
Composed by Elton John and Tim Rice, Disney's latest Gotham offering never drags, but its heavy tale of a Nubian princess named Aida (Heather Headley) who is sold into slavery despite her title to a commanding but eventually soft-hearted young ruler (Adam Pascal), skimps on the complications of its admittedly daring subject matter. Radames, the latter, ends up falling for his new acquisition, despite being engaged to a vain, self-absorbed princess of his own, Amneris (Sherie Rene Scott), against the wishes of her ruling padre, the stern Zoser (John Hickok). Given that a Broadway show doesn't have to be a dry history lesson, one still wishes the creators put more credence into the complex romantic notion that a slave would fall for her captor, and vice versa. Especially in Act I, the emotions are so hurried and truncated, we never really see a transition of the heart taking place.
Most of the dialogue to set these scenes up is perfunctory, all in service of getting to the next audience-pleasing set piece (which is usually pretty smashing). Oddly though, as the story progresses, the urgency drains out because of this "let's wow them" attitude, and the score doesn't have many grabbers in it. Tunefully equal in sound to both John and Rice's past endeavors, there is hardly a tune you warble when it's all over with, even when they are reprised, as four of them are during its run.
At the very least, though, the show has two star-making, astonishing finds. As Aida, Headley has all the makings of a grand Broadway star. With a robust voice that can go from heavenly to haunting inside a second, she never recedes into the background, a tough feat with these production values. She is compelling in every scene, even when the story loses its focus (which it constantly does), and makes you feel her character's torments and heartbreak. A generous performer, Headley also never gives in to the delicate nature of her creation, which calls for her to be heroic and subservient at various intervals, and never sacrifices her credibility for cheap effect. Scott is also impressive as her competition, in both senses. With a sultrier but equally evocative vocal range, Scott transforms a one-note role into a woman with elegance and surprising depth.
In the second act, when Amneris is called upon to be headstrong and authoritative, the actress creates this transformation with lucidity and class, and refreshing subtlety, especially since her first big number, "My Strongest Suit", lets her vamp every which way, and concludes in the grandest Vegas-style fashion show you've ever witnessed, with Bob Crowley's costumes devouring the Palace Theater with their bold colors and outrageous, Gaultier-influenced splendor. These actresses are so consummate, they virtually make you forget the streamlined narrative, but sadly, they share little stage time together.
The male actors, however, are more problematic. Pascal (Rent), a handsome performer with a great, rock star set of pipes, is weak as the central hero; he simply doesn't have the requisite charisma for a role this size and for a show this momentous. He often seems stunted by his towering female co-stars. Hickok is underwhelming as Zoser, and barely seems old enough to be Radames' big brother, let alone father. Damian Perkins is also tame as Aida's faithful companion Mereb; his line readings are far too contemporary-sounding, and his vocal range isn't nearly as accomplished as that of his co-stars. Director Falls, who scored so hugely with his revival of Death Of A Salesman last year, seems to be lost in the show's size, letting things move steadily but missing key nuances that could have helped the show's momentum. It could possibly be chalked up to the various road incarnations and book writers Aida has endured, but Broadway seems to amplify a show's flaws, especially a musical, and tightening could have improved the haphazard structure a bit. Judging from the audience reaction, this show is destined to be a hit. Never an outright failure in any regard but missing the vital ingredients of a true keeper, Aida is ambitious enough to fool you into thinking it has more on its mind than recouping costs and maintaining the Disney "standards." But considering the show it could have been does give one a slight pause, even if you consider that it will rightfully rocket Heather Headley and Sherie Rene Scott to musical star heaven.
