Peninsula Youth Theatre thinks big for 'Aida' Peninsula Youth Theatre thinks big for 'Aida' (July 29, 2005)

By Katie Vaughn

Peninsula Youth Theatre's latest production is anything but child's play. The performing arts group's summer show is a big-name musical with a large cast, professional staging and mature themes.

"Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida" runs Saturday through Aug. 7 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. The musical, created by the duo of the Broadway hit "The Lion King," enjoyed a stint on Broadway in 2000.

The story opens in the Egyptian wing of a present-day museum. Visitors gather around an ancient tomb. Two onlookers are particularly drawn to the relic and to one another, as they are the reincarnations of Aida and Radames, a Nubian princess and Egyptian soldier caught in a forbidden love affair thousands of years ago.

"It's Egypt-based, but it's a timeless love story," said co-director Kalon Thibodeaux.

The next scene, like the majority of those in the musical, takes place in ancient Egypt. Aida and many other Nubians have been captured and taken to Egypt to be slaves. Attracted to Aida, Radames chooses her to serve his fiancee Amneris, the princess of Egypt. Over the course of the production, Radames and Aida fall in love, but are forced to hide their feelings. One big reason for this is that Radames' father, Zoser, a chief minister to the ill pharaoh, wants his son to become the next leader of Egypt.

The musical draws from a number of influences, including an Egyptian folkloric tale (which inspired Giuseppe Verdi's 19th century operatic version of the story) and Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The inspirations for the production's dance scenes are equally as varied, drawing from such genres as modern dance and hip hop, as well as traditional forms.

But the music, in contrast, is pure Elton John. In fact, the pop-rock soundtrack, filled with powerful ballads and emotion-filled choruses, earned the musical a Tony Award for best original score and a Grammy for best musical show album.

"Anyone who likes Elton John will love this show," said co-director Katie O'Bryon. "It's chock full of his music."

"It's very contemporary," Thibodeaux added. "It's from the time in Broadway when rock was the way to go."

PYT has prepared two separate casts for the musical -- combined, the two groups total about 100 -- which perform on alternate nights. This system provides a convenient backup plan in case an actor can't make a performance.

Many of the actors are PYT veterans -- this production is the 20th, for example, for 20-year-old Anthony Scott Feenan, who plays "the evil, sinister Zoser." Accordingly, several actors said the group takes its productions very seriously. Indeed, the company works with professionals to craft costumes, sets and lighting designs.

While Feenan and Blythe Faxon, a 17-year-old who plays Aida, said musical lovers of any age would enjoy the show, the directors warned that the production may not be appropriate for some children. In addition to featuring slavery, murder and an instance of sexual innuendo, the musical's tragic ending may upset young theatergoers. However, Faxon said, the musical's overarching message is positive.

"Ultimately, Aida and Radames' deaths bring a happy ending of peace," she said.

INFORMATION What: "Aida," presented by Peninsula Youth Theatre Where: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St. When: July 30 to Aug. 7, with performances Thursday at 1 p.m., Friday at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. (and also on 7:30 p.m. July 31) Contact: Call (650) 903-6000 or visit www.pytnet.org

E-mail Katie Vaughn at kvaughn@mv-voice.com

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