Stages St. Louis’s “Aida” walks like an Egyptian concert

When peering through a breach in the door to King Tut’s tomb, the British Egyptologist Howard Carter was asked if he could see anything. “Yes,” he exclaimed. “Wonderful things!”

Like Carter, I peered at the Stages St. Louis’s production of “Aida” and saw and heard some wonderful things. But the individual wonderful elements remain self-contained and don’t cohere to provide a satisfying theatrical experience in the Stages St. Louis production of  “Aida” at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.

With music by Sir Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice and book by four writers, this “Aida” is loosely based on Giuseppe Verdi’s opera of the same name. It is much more closely based on the Disney formula for storytelling. It’s as wide as the Nile, but only an inch deep. But then, it doesn’t pretend to be anything more than that.

I confess that my sentiments about this show hew closely to Ben Brantley’s “New York Times” review of the Broadway production in 2000, when he described “Aida” as a “Disney cartoon pretending to be a Broadway musical.”

Like the recent touring production of  “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Fox Theatre, “Aida” is best experienced less as a dramatic story and more as a concert filled with the broadly appealing song stylings of Elton John and Tim Rice. I much prefer their 1999 concept album, “Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida,” which predates the 2000 musical and contains most of the best songs performed by artists such as Tina Turner, Janet Jackson and Sting.

The concert-like stage and lighting designs are where this production excels. Director and choreographer Luis Salgado has created a stage show that’s nothing short of an Egyptian-themed rock concert. There’s a definite vibe takes its cues from that famous album cover for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon.” Or maybe the 1986 ZZ Top concert in1986 at the Checkerdome Arena, the tour with the cocaine-snorting pyramid that covered the stage before the band began playing.

Salgado along with scenic designer Kate Rance and lighting designer Herrick Goldman make great use of pyramid and triangle shapes through which the actors seamlessly move. This production also demonstrates how much lighting design can use LED technologies to delight the eyes.

The centerpiece of this show is Wonu Ogunfowora as Aida. Her performance – singing an acting – is commanding and emotionally nuanced. She is the glue that holds this production together, as was Heather Headley in the original Broadway production. Her vocal ability is well-matched to the demanding range of song styles from pop to gospel. Ogunfowora leads the ensemble in the production’s individual best, most affecting number: “The Gods Love Nubia.” As Sir Elton himself has said, “When in doubt, write a hymn.”

The other half of “Aida’s” pair of star-crossed lovers is Radames, played by Ace Young, whose singing abilities are still as strong as his appearances on “American Idol.” He’s best as a “duetter,” especially on the love songs “Elaborate Lives” and “Written In the Stars.” His acting, however, is less effective, and he more than once slipped into what sounded like the Kenickie character he played in the Broadway revival of “Grease.”

Radames’s villainous, imperious father, Zoser, is played – and sometimes overplayed – by Ryan Williams. This role as the Scar to Young’s Simba begins strong and becomes less nuanced as the story progresses. His best song is “Another Pyramid,” in the first act, with a stage full of his ministers.

Williams also earns the “best pecs” award in this production. A plunging V-neckline reveals pectorals that rival, if not downright surpass, those of Ricardo Montalbán’ in “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” Very impressive if they’re real. If not, kudos to Brad Musgrove’s costume design.  

The character of Amneris is played by Diana DeGarmo, also an American Idol alum. She is best in her comedic moments, especially during the song “My Strongest Suit,” which is the “Hakuna Mata” of “Aida.” Her over-the-top performance of this song is fun and funny, but the song itself is gratuitously out of step with the rest of the musical. She also does good service to the show-opener, “Every Story Is a Love Story.”

Despite his character’s sidekick status, Albert Jennings is delightful as Mereb, a Nubian slave. Jennings displays a powerful voice that beautifully complements Ogunfowora’s in the duet “How I Know You” and is perfectly alone in the solo reprise of the song in the second act. His sincerely acting is energetic and shows tremendous range moving from comedic to sarcastic to serious.

The best serious acting belongs to Jerome Harmann Hardeman as Aida’s captured father, King Amonasro. His short performance proves there are no small parts for a great actor. I wish more of the acting in the rest of the company had been of his caliber.

A stand out of a different sort is the emotional performance by ensemble dancer Avery Martin. This 11-year-old accomplished more than “holding her own” with the more mature members of the ensemble – she conveyed an impressive depth of emotion and an enviable expressiveness in her polished dancing.

If you’re deciding whether to attend the Stages St. Louis’s production of “Aida,” you should first choose your terms of engagement. If you liked this year’s performances of the “Lion King” and “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Fox Theatre, then “Aida” will probably deliver a delightful experience. It’s easy on the ears and appealing to the eyes, but less engaging to the heart and mind – due mostly to the wan chemistry between Ogunfowora and Young.

“Aida” continues at The Ross Family Theatre at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center through July 2.More information is availble at the Stages St. Louis web site.