A production of Aida is a daunting endeavor, where success or failure hinges purely on the music. Luckily, the music in Hoof ‘n’ Horn’s new production is stellar.
The student group’s adaptation of Tim Rice and Elton John’s popular musical, itself based on the opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verdi, boasts a number of talented leads whose vocal performances range from solid to downright spectacular. The cast delivers the play’s 22 songs with consistent vigor, intensity and emotional resonance.
The play tells a classic story of forbidden love: Radames, an Egyptian army captain, is engaged to Amneris, the Pharaoh’s daughter. But when his forces return from a foreign campaign with a group of Nubian slaves in tow, Radames falls for one of his captives: the defiant Aida, the daughter of the Nubian king. A complicated love triangle ensues, and Aida and Radames must decide just how far they are willing to pursue their passion. The plot of the play derives from the original opera, and as a result is largely a vehicle for the musical numbers.
Aida features Rice and John breaking from the archetypal “showtune” in favor of more pop-inflected material. “My Strongest Suit” is a disco number that revels in gleeful materialism, while “The Gods Love Nubia” is a rousing, heartfelt African hymnal. But the common thread among all of the tunes is a penchant for melodrama. John’s influence is particularly prevalent in the many piano-driven rock arrangements. The heavy-handed emotional content can easily appear forced, but the cast displays the acting chops necessary to keep the production afloat.
The women stand firmly in the spotlight. Amber Sembly, as Aida, belts out her tunes like a true professional—she skillfully imbues her voice with heartbreak and triumph, despair and strength. And Chantel Hopper, who plays the sultry yet delicate Amneris, displays an astonishing vocal range, effortlessly transitioning from brittle falsetto to deep, glottal bellows. The men do their best to keep up, but are often outmatched by their female counterparts. Brian Watts, who plays Ramades, is an able leading man, but his voice lacks the body to stand up to Sembly’s or Hopper’s. Alex Brockhoff, as Ramades’ wicked father Zoser, suffers from similar vocal constraints. The exception is Martavius Parrish, cast as Aida’s friend and fellow slave Mereb, whose slim frame packs some serious soul.
The acting, though, stands as the production’s most significant shortcoming. Most of the main characters are somewhat one-note—Sembly’s performance is almost leaden—and fail to captivate the audience. The only standout is Hopper, who steals every scene she’s in as she hams it up before eventually giving way to a vulnerable humanity.
But acting is a relatively minimal consideration in a production like this, and the cast more than makes up for it with the musical numbers, superbly executed and chill-inducing
Hoof ‘n’ Horn will perform Aida at Reynolds Theater April 7-9 at 8 p.m., April 9-10 at 2 p.m., April 14-16 at 8 p.m. and April 16 at 2 p.m.
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