Aida

The theme of romance in a time of war is hardly new, but this sparkling production of Aida nonetheless captures our interest with its soulful tale of an enslaved African princess and her Egyptian lover. As the show opens, the two neighboring territories, Egypt and Nubia, are at war. This brings together the victorious Egyptian captain, Radames, and one of the captured Nubians, Aida. Her outspoken manner piques Radames' curiosity, and soon this interest turns to forbidden passion.

Radames has long been promised to the Egyptian princess, Amneris. Now, on the eve of his wedding, he looks at Aida and realizes what love truly is. Paulette Ivory as Aida, Lisa Brescia as Amneris and Jeremy Kushnier as Radames beautifully depict the love triangle. In particular, Paulette Ivory is perfectly cast as a woman torn between love and duty. While it is difficult to imagine that anyone could follow in the footsteps of the wondrous Heather Headley, who created the part and took it to Broadway, Ivory stands on her own. She is every inch the performer one would want to see in the title role.

As Amneris, the fashion-crazed Egyptian princess, Lisa Brescia is only a half-step behind Broadway's Sherie Rene Scott, who became so popular she had her own fan club. As Radames, Jeremy Kushnier easily eclipses the memory of the Broadway performer who played this role when this reviewer saw the production in 2001. Kushnier seems to "get it" -- that is, he is aware of the character's gradual consciousness-raising process. While at first oblivious to the greater good someone in his position can do, Radames slowly realizes the possibilities by watching Aida's example.

The couple is a good match in terms of igniting sparks, too. Their rendition of "Elaborate Lives" is especially impressive. Ivory also shines in her solo number, "Easy As Life." For an extra bit of fun, ex-Monkee Micky Dolenz portrays Radames' father, Zoser. His acting chops are fine, and he and Kushnier are well matched for the filial showdown in "Like Father, Like Son."

Not everything is perfect, of course. The show's music, which falls nicely on the ear, is not terribly memorable. And the timeframe seems screwy, too. The show starts and ends in the present century. But when it goes back a few thousand years, it seems to be lost in a time warp. The Egyptian fashion parade, while fun to watch, is hardly in synch with Pyramid building. The elaborate fashions seem to have been designed by Coco Chanel at her most outrageous. Oh, well.

Disney always attempts to take its productions to a higher level, and Aida is no exception. The production is sumptuous and spot-on in every respect. Although some of the stunning Broadway effects are scaled down for the tour, it does not detract from the quality and talent evident in this version.