Today in 2000, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida opened at Broadway's Palace Theatre, kicking off what would be a four-year run of 1,852 performances and making a bonafide star of leading lady Heather Headley.
Now, you might know the title Aida best as a Giuseppe Verdi opera, most frequently performed in Italian. Set to a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni, Verdi's Aida tells the tragic love story of an Ethiopian princess who falls in love with an Egyptian general while in captivity, creating a love triangle with Egyptian princess Amneris. The opera is a mainstay at opera houses the world over. Leontyne Price, one of the most famous singers to take on the title role, published a children's picture book of the opera's story in 1994.
Around the same time, Disney bought the rights to turn it into an animated film, planning for it to have songs by John. But John, it turned out, did not want to follow up The Lion King with another animated project, and so Disney moved to make the idea a stage musical instead, pairing John with his Lion King lyricist Tim Rice. The musical would ultimately feature a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang.
In the musical, Aida became a Nubian princess, and Radames the captain of the Egyptian army. John eschewed Verdi's grand opera style for his trademark pop writing, supplying a score that introduced such favorites as "My Strongest Suit," "Dance of the Robe," "Not Me," "Elaborate Lives," "A Step Too Far," "Written in the Stars," and "I Know the Truth." The show premiered in Atlanta in 1998. A concept album of the score's songs sung by John and various other pop stars was released the following year. Disney was so confident in this latest work that they moved their megahit Beauty and the Beast from the Palace to the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre so that Aida could premiere at the Palace—one of Broadway's largest and most prestigious venues.
Headley was then best known for creating the role of Nala on stage in Broadway's The Lion King, and became the natural choice to create the title role in Aida's original cast. She was joined by Adam Pascal, then fresh off the success of Rent, as Radames; and Sherie Rene Scott as Amneris. Also in the original cast was Schele Williams, who performed in Aida's original ensemble (Williams went on to direct her own version of Aida in 2023).
The 2000 musical got a mixed reception from critics, failing to get even a Best Musical nomination at the 2000 Tony Awards—but John and Rice won for their score, and Headley won for her performance. Bob Crowley's scenic design and Natasha Katz' lighting design also picking up statues. And whatever the critical and Tony response, Aida was a hit with audiences, and enjoyed a long run. Disney put a string of starry replacements into the show during its run, with replacement Aidas including Deborah Cox, former Destiny's Child (and current Death Becomes Her star) Michelle Williams, Toni Braxton, and Simone.
And 25 years later, Aida is still a favorite in the canon, frequently produced at high schools and theatres around the world. A new revival, directed by original company member Williams, is currently in the works and expected to launch a national tour in the coming months after a 2023 staging in Germany.
See photos from the various Broadway casts of Aida in the gallery below.
