Stage Review: Aida

My father once told me the proudest and most humbling moment of a father’s life is when his son outperforms him in some way. I always try hard not to over-think this comment as it suggests I may have peaked too early – I was “out-sporting” my father from about the age of seven. What I think he meant was that there is joy and admiration in seeing the subsequent generation excel – it’s a sort of evolutionary commendation.

And evolution is working rather effectively at Concordia International School.

Aida is the second Concordia performance I have now seen after Macbeth last October and I must admit I’m an avid fan. It’s hard to imagine a greater leap from The Bard’s play to this Elton John / Tim Rice collaboration. While the former is all furrowed brows, deceit and a distinct lack of gaiety, the latter is a torrent of colour and sound, emotion and, well … Elton John. As many of the young performers were returning cast members, I was keen to see how they would cope with this great leap forwards.

If they impressed me with their mastery of Shakespeare, they left me breathless with this high-octane production. It was a tumult of acrobatic dance, powerful solos and genuine feeling. A huge nod here must go to the innovation of new dance choreographer Andrea Go, who had channeled the hip and hop inside each of the cast members. Nowhere was this better exhibited than in the far too cool for school ‘Like Father, Like Son’: a dance-off featuring Richard Wang’s Radames and Hans Kim’s Zoser. I’ve got no idea who won, but it took filial disobedience to a very elaborate new level. Think Footloose in ancient Egypt.

Indeed it was the collaborative aspects of this production that stood out for me above anything else. All singing, all dancing Aida could not have been created without a dedicated team behind it. Wardrobe, makeup, lighting, set design, stage management, voice coaches (outstanding work by Amy Camp), orchestra … the input of each and every one of these was evident throughout and that’s a credit to all, especially the coordination of director Chad Doering. But what really resonated was the obvious affection the cast had for each other and their recognition and appreciation of the backstage crew.

It feels hollow to single out any particular performers, but I’m sure the cast won’t begrudge me making special mention of Aida herself, Emily Parkinson. If there were a girl more born to be on the stage, I would be astounded. Emily’s effort was brilliant. Her lines were delivered with an ease and articulation that belied her age and she clearly stole her voice from a trained opera singer about three times her size. She also has a commendable talent in reacting. As Joey Tribbiani tells us, this is not acting again: it’s the gift of contributing, without speaking, and Emily glossed Aida throughout with this gift.

Two other standouts were Wang as the Egyptian Captain Radames and Nathalia Tavares as Amneris, daughter of the Pharaoh. Wang, part Korean pop star, part strapping lead, provided the macho posturing required and also displayed an evolved man kind of sensitivity. It’s no wonder the four girls sitting near me in the audience clung to his every word and every thrust of his sword.

Tavares brought some comic levity to Aida. Another with a voice that defied convention, she drew plenty of attention from the audience, despite playing second fiddle to the two leads. She owned the best lines of the musical and certainly didn’t disappoint in delivering them, even when “buck-naked princess” became “bucket-naked princess”.

Elsewhere, the young Don Zhang has a Sinatra-esque voice that could make a wolverine purr and Hans Kim (tyrannical) and Nora Kusaka (selfless) both impressed in their respective roles.

When the cast talk of their passion for this musical and the demanding rehearsal time that was involved, it’s easy to forget that these are high school students with mountains of course work, a wide swath of extra curricular activities and, let’s hope, social lives.

A truly excellent all-round performance and another feather in the hat of the Concordia Arts Department.