The new production was previously set to embark on a U.S. tour, but will now begin abroad.
Director Schele Williams' reimagined take on Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida has set a world premiere engagement in the Netherlands, with performances beginning April 23, 2023 at AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen. It is produced by Disney Theatrical. Gaia Aikman, Naidjim Severina, and April Darby will lead the cast as Aida, Radames, and Amneris, respectively.
Williams' production was originally announced to play New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse before embarking on a U.S. tour and an engagement in Germany. But those plans were postponed due to the spread of COVID-19 and the accompanying shutdown of most live theatre. The new version will leave the score and the original plot intact. As for tone, Williams, who played Nehebka in the work's original Broadway production, has given the musical "a contemporary feel without compromising its original quality."
She says that this update was a way for audiences to more easily connect the politics of Ancient Egypt to today. "One of the most fascinating things about the time in which Aida is set was that gender inequality was not an issue then," shares Williams. "Pharaohs could be female too, among both the Egyptians and the Nubians. Women were also commanders of armies, and soldiers, and the best doctors in Egypt. Women held property and took it with them when they got married. It made me realize that in our fight for equal rights, we women actually need to get back what we already had then. As a mother, I think it’s fantastic that I can tell my daughters and their friends about this, and that we must reclaim the position we always had."
Co-book writer David Henry Hwang has worked with Williams to update the script for the new iteration. Hwang worked with Linda Woolverton and Robert Falls on the original version. The previously announced U.S. tour production was to feature choreography by Camille A. Brown, sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, and lighting by Natasha Katz, with Jason Michael Webb serving as musical supervisor, Michael McElroy as arranger, Jim Abbott as orchestrator, and Zane Mark as dance arranger. Only Crowley, who also designed the original production's sets and costumes, has been confirmed so far for the Netherlands bow.
Aida opened at Broadway's Palace Theatre in 2000, earning Heather Headley a Tony Award for the title role, with John and Rice earning Tony and Grammy Awards for their work on the score.
Based on Verdi's 1871 opera, Aida follows Egyptian soldier Radames, his lover Aida (a captured princess from abroad), and his fiancée Amneris (the Egyptian king’s daughter) as the three grapple with love, duty to country, and family. Starring alongside Headley in the original Broadway production were Sherie Rene Scott as Amneris and Adam Pascal as Radames.
Aida remained on Broadway through 2004, featuring a slew of hit recording artists taking center stage, including Toni Braxton, Deborah Cox, and Michelle Williams. After the musical closed on Broadway, the musical was resurrected on tour and in regional productions, including a 2016 run at Muny starring Williams, Taylor Louderman, and Zak Resnick.
Disney Theatrical Productions is partnering with Stage Entertainment Nederland to present the world premiere.
In honor of Hercules, take a look back through the shows Disney has brought to life on the Broadway stage.
The show, directed and produced by Eric Ulloa, will play 54 Below November 17.
Directed by the playwright, the production plays Menier Chocolate Factory.
The long-running, Tony-winning revival at the Ambassador Theatre also welcomes the return of Charlotte d’Amboise and Ryan Silverman.
The James Ijames play is directed by Sideeq Heard and stars cast members from the Public Theater's recent production.
Keep track of the shows booked into each Broadway theatre.
A rundown of current Broadway shows and their planned show times, as well as cancellations due to COVID.
The Manhattan Theatre Club production stars Tony nominee Kara Young, David Zayas, Gregg Mozgala, and Katy Sullivan.
Brandon Victor Dixon and Evan Harrington also conclude their current engagements in the Tony-winning revival.
The Broadway adaptation makes its U.K. premiere in Manchester, England with Grace Mouat as Ella.
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