BWW Reviews: AIDA at Music Theatre Wichita

Music Theatre Wichita is off and running. The 2015 season is full of old favorites and new adventures, beginning with Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida directed by Mark Madama.

Aida is being produced for the second time by Music Theatre Wichita, and originally opened on Broadway in 2000 winning four TONY awards and running four years. It tells the story of Aida; a Nubian princess captured by Egyptian soldiers led by the captain Radames, and becomes the slave of Pharaoh's daughter, Amneris, who is betrothed to Radames. A classic love triangle occurs when Aida and Radames fall in love. It is an epic tale.

The story examines love in many capacities (romantic, familial) but the strongest love story from this production was the friendship between Zakiya Young and Kate Loprest as Aida and Amneris respectively. They had a wonderful chemistry. Loprest gave a particularly charming performance with her Reese Witherspoon/Kristen Chenoweth-esque vibe and the journey Amneris takes. There were a few missed moments from the acting among other characters, but Loprest made the most of every word.

Though the choreography by Andrew Palermo was beautiful, the execution was occasionally sloppy. The set design was cumbersome and imposing, which gave the impression of impeding on Palermo and Madama's work. "My Strongest Suit" was a fun, frothy celebration, but the trajectory of the production came to a screeching halt for the fashion show runway segment. The most impressive element was the lighting by David Neville. Stunning, powerful and elegant.

Music Theatre Wichita has a full summer ready for your enjoyment. Up next is My Son Pinocchio with new songs by Stephen Schwartz June 24-28th. Family friendly and great fun, there will be an added matinee Saturday morning at 10:00am for three and four year olds. Get your tickets soon. Visit www.mtwichita.org for more information.