"Aida" - 7/9/04

[testing123]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:20am

Wow, Adam IS back !!!! He sounds absolutely incredible !! He is totally revitalized in the role.

Just got back, and it was great seeing Adam again ! As for the rest of the cast.. Okay, let me first preface this by saying that we saw Heather and Adam 14 times in the opening months of "Aida". To this day, Heather's performance was the best that I have ever seen in any show. Heather owned "Aida". (We also saw Toni Braxton in the role, but I wont even comment on that!) BUT....I did go in with a totally open mind.

Deborah Cox has a very nice voice... best thing that I can say. Just too many times, she seemed to be just going through the motions. Her best was "Dance of the Robe". "The Gods Love Nubia" was okay, but it seemed like she needed the rest of the cast to carry her, and because of that, her voice seemed to get drowned out a bit. I will say that her duet with Adam on "Elaborate Lives" was excellent. As far as her acting.. it was okay. She didnt seem to have the comic timing down. Aida does get a few sarcastic, funny lines to say, but they did not come off as that funny. Her line regarding the "egyptian thread count" drew almost no laughs at all, and it is usually very funny. I dont know, in my opinion, she just doesnt show enough emotion, but the audience seemed to really like her.

Out of the current cast, Eric LaJuan Summers, as Mereb was the best. Excellent voice, and perfect as Mereb.

Lisa Brescia as Amneris did not do it for me. Nice set of pipes (although a few times she sounded like she was screeching), but she didnt seem to play up the materialistic, somewhat ditzy, blond aspect that much.

Micky Dolenz as Zoser... all I have to say is.... OY !!! Hey, I love the "Monkees", but I felt like I was watching a cross between Bill Clinton, and a comedy skit about William Shatner doing Kirk, with a little hint of Kermit the frog for the voice. He basically talks "Another Pyramid" and "Like Father, Like Son" was painful !! I felt bad for Adam during this song.

Overall, not the "Aida" that I was used to, but still lots of fun, and great seeing Adam, who had a huge number of people waiting for him at the stage door. He stopped to sign, and take pictures, and was very cordial.

How does the song go.... ? "you dont know what you got till its gone"...

Sherie, Adam, and Heather !!! OH MY !!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:23am

woohoo! Always happy to hear good (well, mostly good) things about my favorite musical, and especially about my Adam (who indeed IS back!!!) I think I'm finally going back the week after next, and I'm stil kind of apprehensive about seeing Deborah... but very excited, too. It's been over a year since I've been back there, so I'm going to try to go into it with an open mind and knowing that the OBC was a godsend. Those two ladies won't ever be replaced.

Updated On: 7/10/04 at 12:23 AM

[testing123]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:27am

No, they wont Emcee (. As far as Adam goes... the more I think about it tonight... this is the best that I have ever seen him as Radames !!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:29am

I saw him back in the show's first months... I remember thinking he was great, but not too much more in the way of specifics. I've been dying to see him do this again, and was extatic beyond belief when his return was announced. I'm counting the days 'til I get to see this. He's so wonderful.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:30am

I haven't seen Deborah yet...

Have seen Simone, Toni and Saycon.

Saycon was my favorite out of the three...I liked that she comes off very young and spirited...she had great chemistry with Adam (when I saw her last year) and Cheyenne Jackson (a couple of months ago.)

Simone is great, but...she just seemed too old.

Toni...WHAT WAS THAT? I couldn't understand a word she said! And why on earth did she cry so much???? The only nice thing I can say about her as Aida was that she looked really pretty.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:31am

NNY, your posts always make me laugh. I REFUSED at ALL costs to go see Toni, as badly as I wanted to see the show again. I saw Heather's understudy my first time, and Saycon my second. Heather's u/s was no Heather, but she was AMAZING... and I heart Saycon. I hear she just keeps getting better and better.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:33am

the only reason I saw Toni was because my mom is a big fan of hers...I thought my Aida days were over when Adam left.

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:37am

Anybody see Kelli Fournier as Amneris? I really liked her in that role. As for Simone being too old, when paired with Patrick Cassidy, it made sense and was very effective. Nothing says these people have to be 20.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:42am

See, I figured Aida was supposed to be really, really young for some reason.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:43am

I think they're all like... 20, 21-ish, aren't they? Not to say the actors have to be... but I'm pretty sure the characters are all sort of young.

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:44am

And what is that assumption based on? something in the script?

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:48am

How 'bout that Cheyenne Jackson?

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:52am

You have no idea how much I wish Cheyenne had a deep dark history with a career in porn.

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:55am

Undiscovered - that's a pretty good indication In which case, the casting of Simone and Patrick was highly inappropriate - but I still enjoyed them, and thought they worked well together. Maybe it's my awareness of the opera that allows me to think of them as being portrayed by older people. Obviously Heather wasn't that old, and certainly many of the replacements haven't been either. I guess I just didn't think they came across as 'ancient.'

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:56am

Hmmm...I doubt it...but keep dreaming, you never know :)

Posted: 7/10/04 at 12:58am

In the meantime, thank goodness there's those LOVELY production shots of him as Rocky

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 1:03am

Did you see him in Aida yet?

Posted: 7/10/04 at 1:10am

No, I haven't. I don't live in NYC. The only time I've seen AIDA is on tour - in San Fransisco, and again in LA. I've just been introduced to the lovely Cheyenne through the internet - but pics and vocal clips can have QUITE an impression

[insomniak]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 1:49am

Yay, Adam love. Sigh. If only I lived in NY... Oh well. There are *other* ways to see these things... please don't delete this post!

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:07am

I saw Cheyenne on the 2nd. He was phenominal. I was really upset when they announced that Adam wasnt going on, but then after watching him as Radames I could not complain. again - wonderful! And i stayed after at the stage door to meet him. What a doll. As nice as could be. I feel very lucky to have seen him perform in AIDA before it closes. And everyone keep your fingers crossed that they dont strike. I got tickets to see the show this Tuesday, and talks of a strike will be decided on Monday - talk about anxiety attack.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 10:48am

I'm so glad you saw (and loved) him! He's an excellent performer and a really great guy.

[NativeNewYorker]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 10:48am

I'm so glad you saw (and loved) him! He's an excellent performer and a really great guy.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 11:02am

YAY! Another Cheyenne convert! The man is fanstastic! I hope he doesn't stay away from Broadway -- or fully clothed for that matter -- too long.

[silent]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 2:10pm

Hmm, I guess I must have seen a different show from others, because the character of AIDA doesn't show much emotion. From the way I see it, she has to keep her emotions hidden, in fear of being exposed. Anyways, Deborah is fabulous in the role. Of course, she's a great singer, but her acting was very on-point as well.

[TheGirlinTheFrock]

Posted: 7/10/04 at 3:04pm

I wouldnt say that Aida is unemotional. I see her as being a very STRONG woman, buti agree that she has to keep her emotions hidden. I am sure going up she was expected to act "proper" and not go running around shouting with joy or be able to throw temper tantrums. She she is reserved for the fact that this is how she was raised. Remember the quote when she talks about sailing with her father. "And i would run and laugh and my father would always to tell me to act like a prin- to act like a lady." Or something along those lines. When I saw it on the 2nd it was my first time seeing Deborah perform. I was suprised that she played the part very girly at times. I thought that if there is one thing Aida shouldnt be, its girly. Seeing the way she interacts with her father is reason enough to believe that (This is also why i believe Radames is so attracted to Aids she is so different that what he is used to...i.e Amneris). Plus, if she was supposed to run her country after her father dies, she would be raised to think, plot, calculate with out her emotions getting in the way. That is why this experience is so new for her. That she IS thinking emotionally. So after my long rant i guess i am saying that Aida should be emotional, yet not OVER emotional. I guess the two best words that i can come up with right now are STRONG and RESERVED.

And yes, i guess I am another Cheyenne convert. Haha. And with talent like that, there is no way he can stay away from Broadway for to long!

Updated On: 7/10/04 at 03:04 PM