A Genre of Its Own by Aimee
A Genre of Its Own
With regards to the production of Aida that I attended, three words come to mind: seamless, timeless, and soulful. From what I had heard about the show I thought it would be choppy and mismatched as it transitioned between jazz, rock and roll, hip hop, and several other musical genres. About halfway through the first act I realized that this was hardly the case. The classic feel and lacking of a distinct period created a flow between songs but kept the audience interested through the entire production.
One thing I noted was the element of surprise incorporated into the beginning of the show. It started in a museum with people wandering through an exhibit, rather than some desert or palace scene as I had expected. This left me wondering where the show would go from there, and also justified immediately that this wasn’t an average or generic musical. Following the first song, the audience is plunged into a tale of the past, although we still found the characters in jeans and modern looking clothes. The costume design was flawless due to the fact that the characters portrayed a contemporary look, but overall they were quite timeless. I think it is difficult to achieve this tone since many costumes are very specific to an era, especially ancient Egypt.
Another distinction that is apparent soon after the show begins is the quirky and spunky attitude pertaining to Marja Harmon’s character, Aida. The audience can see that she is a brave and upright woman at once. I enjoyed this aspect of the play. Some shows choose to build the character throughout the production but in this case an outright characterization was needed. On the other hand, Radames is first portrayed as a power-hungry tyrant, but that perception changes completely by the end of the show. This was also an appropriate approach, showing the minute attention to the development of each character.
My favorite number in the show was “How I Know You,” sung by Dane Harrington Joseph (Mereb) and Marja Harmon (Aida). The set was fairly clear of clutter and they were alone on the stage, setting up a perfect environment to focus solely on the song. These characters sang so well together and their voices not only pleased your ears but your soul. The theme of the song wasn’t one of the most touching in the play but it was one of the few songs that their voices were the only thing to focus on. My least favorite song was “Another Pyramid,” performed by Zoser and the Ministers. Zoser was portrayed as a slimy, selfish character continuously and even though this was probably the intention of the writer/director, I disliked every aspect of him. Not only was his personality displeasing, but I did not enjoy his voice as well as some of the other actors. It had a sharp quality to it and didn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the soulful and rhythmic voices in the show. The other actors sang from within, and it didn’t seem like they were just singing the notes. Every word was dripping with emotion, whether it was angry, sorrowful, joyous, or confused. It was never difficult to relate to the characters’ feelings because they portrayed them so thoroughly.
A further aspect of the production that I enjoyed was the distribution of the story over the course of the two acts. All of the information the audience needed to formulate the story was given in the first act, and the second act was more of a conclusion. I noticed that the more dramatic dance numbers and songs were in the first part of the show. This is not saying that the songs in the second act were not dramatic, but they all drew the audience to one conclusion rather than weaving a story. An approach like this is very effective, especially with this story.
Overall, Aida was a marvelous theater experience. Not only was it an enthralling plot, but the diversity of the choreography and songs kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire show. I had chills down my spine countless times due to the passion portrayed by the characters. One cannot fathom the extraordinary quality and uniqueness of this production without experiencing it themselves. Aida is a masterful work of art in a genre of its own.
With regards to the production of Aida that I attended, three words come to mind: seamless, timeless, and soulful. From what I had heard about the show I thought it would be choppy and mismatched as it transitioned between jazz, rock and roll, hip hop, and several other musical genres. About halfway through the first act I realized that this was hardly the case. The classic feel and lacking of a distinct period created a flow between songs but kept the audience interested through the entire production.
One thing I noted was the element of surprise incorporated into the beginning of the show. It started in a museum with people wandering through an exhibit, rather than some desert or palace scene as I had expected. This left me wondering where the show would go from there, and also justified immediately that this wasn’t an average or generic musical. Following the first song, the audience is plunged into a tale of the past, although we still found the characters in jeans and modern looking clothes. The costume design was flawless due to the fact that the characters portrayed a contemporary look, but overall they were quite timeless. I think it is difficult to achieve this tone since many costumes are very specific to an era, especially ancient Egypt.
Another distinction that is apparent soon after the show begins is the quirky and spunky attitude pertaining to Marja Harmon’s character, Aida. The audience can see that she is a brave and upright woman at once. I enjoyed this aspect of the play. Some shows choose to build the character throughout the production but in this case an outright characterization was needed. On the other hand, Radames is first portrayed as a power-hungry tyrant, but that perception changes completely by the end of the show. This was also an appropriate approach, showing the minute attention to the development of each character.
My favorite number in the show was “How I Know You,” sung by Dane Harrington Joseph (Mereb) and Marja Harmon (Aida). The set was fairly clear of clutter and they were alone on the stage, setting up a perfect environment to focus solely on the song. These characters sang so well together and their voices not only pleased your ears but your soul. The theme of the song wasn’t one of the most touching in the play but it was one of the few songs that their voices were the only thing to focus on. My least favorite song was “Another Pyramid,” performed by Zoser and the Ministers. Zoser was portrayed as a slimy, selfish character continuously and even though this was probably the intention of the writer/director, I disliked every aspect of him. Not only was his personality displeasing, but I did not enjoy his voice as well as some of the other actors. It had a sharp quality to it and didn’t seem to fit well with the rest of the soulful and rhythmic voices in the show. The other actors sang from within, and it didn’t seem like they were just singing the notes. Every word was dripping with emotion, whether it was angry, sorrowful, joyous, or confused. It was never difficult to relate to the characters’ feelings because they portrayed them so thoroughly.
A further aspect of the production that I enjoyed was the distribution of the story over the course of the two acts. All of the information the audience needed to formulate the story was given in the first act, and the second act was more of a conclusion. I noticed that the more dramatic dance numbers and songs were in the first part of the show. This is not saying that the songs in the second act were not dramatic, but they all drew the audience to one conclusion rather than weaving a story. An approach like this is very effective, especially with this story.
Overall, Aida was a marvelous theater experience. Not only was it an enthralling plot, but the diversity of the choreography and songs kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire show. I had chills down my spine countless times due to the passion portrayed by the characters. One cannot fathom the extraordinary quality and uniqueness of this production without experiencing it themselves. Aida is a masterful work of art in a genre of its own.
posted by ISC On Stage @ 8:43 AM
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