Adaptation of Verdi's 'Aida' skips the Nile, stops in Vegas

According to "Aida," the noisy pop musical that opens the 18th season of Virginia Musical Theatre, it took a lot of electricity and glitter to keep ancient Egypt going.

Closer to Vegas than to the Nile, this loose adaptation of Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera has a score by Elton John and largely indiscernible lyrics by Tim Rice, again telling the story of the Nubian slave-princess who wows an Egyptian warrior before they're both sent to the tomb.

VMT is one of the first to gain performing rights from Disney Theatricals after the show's Broadway run (2000- 04) and an extensive road tour. This local company remains a marvel in that it produces four such big-scale musicals a season, complete with full orchestra and, in this case, sets and costumes designed by its own staff. That's more than Broadway itself does in some seasons.

T he repetitive parade of power ballads seems to beat audience members into submission more than charm them. The costumes, credited to U'Neece d'Boomboo, are knockouts, particularly in a campy desert fashion show, peppered by B.C.-era tunics and robes.

The orchestra, under the direction of Mark Snedega, is fine, complete with exotic motifs and a rare ability to service the onstage singers rather than compete with them.

The dancers, under the tutelage of Virginia native Tim Smith, were more into 'N Sync than King Tut, but they serve nicely. While VMT has usually been able to snare good singers, it has always had trouble finding dancers, as have all local companies. Most of these were hired in New York. What they do is not demanding, but it moves. A cast of 25 is onstage.

The sets, usually a budget-breaker, are quite impressive here, from the opener modern museum to varied Egyptian suggestions. There are lots of pyramids, none of them ancient. One woman asked, "Why do they keep moving those columns around? Just to give them something to do?" The question, when you think about it, is a valid one.

The real triumph of the evening, if a triumph is to be found, is the vocally soaring Felicia Boswell in the title role. She rips into those ballads with a ferocity that would daunt any Egyptian captor. Acting wise, she brings a nobility and fierce anger to the part that is tempered by femininity when love takes over. She has the diva thing down pat, with every hint that she deserves the crown. Boswell is mezzo magnificent.

Ricky Nahas manages to suggest stud-hunk time with the role of Radames, which is performed mostly shirtless. He's more conscience-ridden than she - torn between his people and the love for an alien princess. The strained sex scenes suggest Disney wants more than the kiddies.

The best, and only, comedic moment is delivered by Jacqueline Bayne as Princess Amneris who, engaged to hunk Ramades, admits to the audience that "it takes a lot to maintain perfection." She is obsessed with fashion and is presented as a somewhat hilarious mix of Paris Hilton and Tori Spelling, introduced as "famed for her wisdom and accessorizing." Strangely, her initially comic egotism is dropped in favor of her becoming a champion for world peace - an abrupt, and unbelievable, switch of character that could be matched in the real world only by Diana, Princess of Wales.

Although the production values are serviceable, it is difficult to warm up to this show. All the songs sound alike even though, in actuality, there is a hint of several varied styles. "Another Pyramid" has a modern reggae quality. "My Strongest Suit," Amneris' fashion cry, has a Motown quality. "The Gods Love Nubia," which Boswell belts to close Act I, has a gospel influence. There are West African, Indian and Middle Eastern influences but, for the most part it's all formulaic Elton John pop style - more a concert than a real Broadway composition.

Largely forgettable, any real impact is thwarted by the kitschy score, which is both derivative and bland.

Mal Vincent, (757) 446-2347, mal.vincent@pilotonline.com