A Sexy "Aida" in Oakbrook: Always Stirring, and Occasionally Stunning

Two musicals which first firmly planted their roots in Chicago around 15 years ago achieved great acclaim on Broadway and elsewhere, and yet have never been far from our stages or our consciousness in Chicago. Both are about race relations in earlier times, and both continue to resonate with great success here. And both have received superior productions recently at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace.

The first is "Ragtime," which won numerous rave reviews and awards one year ago in its DLO incarnation, directed and choreographed by Rachel Rockwell. And now, "Aida," a fundamentally different kind of musical altogether, post-modern in style and based in music and dance, rather than in drama and dialogue, has opened at the Drury Lane. This production has been directed and choreographed by Jim Corti, a dancer of the Michael Bennett and Bob Fosse schools and a deft stager of musicals and plays of all kinds (and, coincidentally, a veteran of the original production of "Ragtime.") 

A blend of Verdian grand opera, "Playgirl" photo shoot, rock opera, Disney family musical, Rhythm And Blues concert, museum visit and fashion week designer showcase, this "Aida" comes with a rich pedigree that some productions doesn't always live up to. Its Tony-winning music by Sir Elton John has its feet in at least four worlds (rock, pop, soul and gospel) and its lyrics by Sir Tim Rice are very nearly a match for John's stirring melodies. And I think that the score is really the only reason for theaters to produce this show, as the book (by Disney's Linda Woolverton, Chicago's Robert Falls and the racially experienced David Henry Hwang) is full of holes in the second act, and not really satisfactory. There's certainly nothing wrong with yet another play about a love triangle, but usually slaves don't spend quite so much time moving around, unencumbered by armies, guards, or geography. And there's a lot of dance for a sexy chorus of female slaves and male soldiers, but hardly any for the stand-and-sing leads. 

And yet, this production, which opened last week and runs through May 29, 2011, is never boring, always stirring, frequently fascinating and occasionally stunning. Sex appeal drips off of everyone onstage, sometimes distractingly so. (Leading man Jared Zirilli has a world-class physique, shown to so much good effect that at the start of the second act last Saturday night, a teenage boy in the audience muttered, "Put your shirt back on," before being shushed by the girls in his school group!) And the strength of most of the lead vocals alone is worth the price of admission. (James Earl Jones II, as Mereb, delivers the best-sung version of "How I Know You" I can possibly imagine. Bravo to him.) 

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this production is the way it unites an unabashed arena rock and hip-hop mentality with unashamed depiction of the profile-based poses seen on Egyptian friezes, carvings and pottery, etc. I absolutely adore how Corti's staging for this show looks! The set (by James Dardenne) actually leaves me a little cold (no sun, no moon, no river, all hard edges, with the stars making a late but very welcome entrance), even though the opening scene, inspired by the I.M. Pei pyramid addition to the Louvre in Paris and carrying on the triangle theme of the show, looks promising. The way the glass walls of the pyramid move by themselves may be trailblazing for a local Chicago company, but I would have enjoyed a lot more in the way of projections and backgrounds. 

I love Melissa Tochia's costumes for the production, as they go a long way toward setting the time and place for the racial, national and cultural opposites of the plot. They are ancient and yet quite contemporary, too, reflecting the sensibilities imparted by the show's authors. Jesse Klug's lighting (including those stars) successfully treads a fine line between concert and play. The beams of light even form triangles sometimes, again reinforcing the theme. Great work, as usual. 

As is right for this show, musical moments were the most stunning for me. As appealing as this cast looks, they do make it count when they are singing. And at least twice (during "Elaborate Lives" and "Easy As Life") I finally understood what the songs meant, which I didn't quite get from previous productions or from the Grammy-winning original cast album. When the compelling Stephanie Umoh (as Aida) started to pull her hair out by the roots during the latter song, I sat bolt upright in my plush Tony DeSantis chair. And the chorus, most of whom must be dance specialists, sounds tight, focused and clear. Kudos to musical director Ben Johnson and his orchestra of eight for so ably supporting and grooving with the fine chops onstage. 

As a title character, Aida spends much of the first act giving wise advice to pretty much everyone the Nubian princess meets in ancient Egypt, and her rival for the affections of Radames, her captor (the Egyptian princess Amneris), spends that same act in various lovely evening gowns. But by the end we realize that the show is really Amneris's (here played by the beautiful and fierce Erin Mosher, a better-looking Celine Dion) who rocks not only some hair extensions but a sassy, earthy, soaring voice. Amneris's narration opens and closes the show, and her decision drives the plot's denoument. Mosher does a good job about making us care about a character who at times is written to be pretty one-dimensional. 

Umoh and Zirilli keep the emotions churning along, and rock each other and the audience with their high notes and their bodies and their explanations of the politics of the situation. Zirilli is the only Egyptian male who doesn't sport a nearly-shaved head, and Umoh is the only woman in the cast who doesn't have multiple wig changes (designer Samantha C. Jones did some great work). But I did feel a growing connection between them, and sensed the danger that this brings. There must be something special about Radames to make two princesses fight over him, and in Zirilli, there is. All three lead characters have a great deal to lose by loving each other, and this struggle was real, intense, rock-and-soul, alive. 

I don't know if "Aida," the musical, will ever be as top-notch as its operatic source is, or as some of the other work by its authors seems to be ("The Lion King," "Evita," "Beauty And The Beast" and "M. Butterfly"). Will is ascend to the top of the list of contemporary musicals with a foot in the world of today's popular music ("In The Heights," "Spring Awakening," "Memphis")? I don't know. But it is on its way, to be sure. I would prefer a more sumptuous physical production than this one, but musically and conceptually, Drury Lane's "Aida" is a fine evening's entertainment, one that teenagers and senior citizens alike should enjoy. It has much to commend it, and the drawbacks recede in the face of all that vocal craftsmanship and mise-en-scene brilliance. The ending of the first act features a Corti masterstroke unseen at this moment before. And the New York-based leads can come back to Chicago anytime, if you ask me. I am sure they are having a blast. I know I did. 

"Aida" plays Wednesdays through Sundays at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, now through May 29. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or visit www.drurylaneoakbrook.com.   

Photos courtesy of the Drury Lane Theatre.  

Photos: Stephanie Umoh and Erin Mosher; Jared Zirilli and Darren Matthias; the Ensemble; James Earl Jones II