Fine actors, first-rate voices make 'Aida' sing

It's hard to imagine any small-theater production of "Aida" as good as the one on stage now at Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City. Rarely have so many exceptional voices been on display in the same production.

Credit director Toni Tomei with selecting fine actors with first-rate voices in the eclectic, somewhat strange melange that was Elton John and Tim Rice's first collaboration after "The Lion King." Based on Giuseppe Verdi's 1871 opera of the same name, the John-Rice version mixes reggae, gospel, pop, Motown — you name it — with modern-day lyrics and iconic references.

Adam Barry as the Egyptian captain Radames and Alexa Ortega as Aida are standouts, which is crucial because their star-crossed love is the very core of the play.

Barry brings an authenticity to his role, not easy to do when he must first show strength as commander of the Egyptian army, then allow his vulnerable side to step forward as he quietly comes to recognize his attraction to a woman he has captured from Nubia, Egypt's longtime enemy.

Ortega has an equally complex character to convey. Although she is actually a Nubian princess, she fears she will be killed if this is discovered. A tiny mite of a woman, Ortega nevertheless possesses a powerful voice that conveys conflicted emotions of disappointment, duty, happiness, betrayal and love. It's impossible not to root for her and Barry to somehow have a happily-ever-after ending.

The

third spoke of the love triangle is Jenni Daw-Crisp as Amneris, the Egyptian princess who has been betrothed to the wanderlust explorer Radames for nine years. Self-centered and somewhat insecure, Amneris declares her outward appearance is her strength with the satirical song "My Strongest Suit," pitched perfectly by Daw-Crisp. In some hands, Amneris could simply be one-dimensional and vain, but Daw-Crisp makes her playful, human, and, in the end, merciful, permitting Radames and Aida to die together.

The "Aida" cast has such depth that it's difficult to exclude many of the lead characters: Shawn Miller, the earnest, loyal Nubian servant Mereb; Ria Aberin, the Nubian slave who willingly gives up her life to save Aida; and Lance Huntley, whose thunderous voice as Amonasro, Aida's father and Nubia's king, turns a small role into a memorable one.

There are a few kinks on the Egyptian side. As Zoser, Ron Lopez Jr. looks more like a character out of "Star Trek," and his eerie ministers have such weird hand movements and facial gestures that they're more comical than menacing. Amnon Levy as the sickly Pharaoh looks so ill that you just want him to die already. And one of Amneris' handmaidens sports a gigantic tattoo across her back that is both out of place and distracting.

But there's so much to appreciate about this production that these things can be overlooked. Don Coluzzi's spectacular lighting heightens the mood in several scenes. Sound designer John Kowtko made nearly every word clear and audible, both in songs and dialogue.

Due to space limitations, musical director Greg Sudmeier went with recorded sound rather than an orchestra, but he made sure the soundtrack was always subservient to the marvelous voices.

Joe Duffy put his distinctive touch on the choreography. Several numbers, particularly "My Strongest Suit," "The Gods Love Nubia" (with an East Indian dance trio) and "Not Me" (in a colorful marketplace setting), are standouts. Dee Morrissey did her usual top-notch job creating wigs and hair designs that were authentic to the period.

Although somewhat confusing at first, the play begins, as director Tomei says, when an Egyptian museum opens for business. All of the actors, dressed in modern-day beige and white garb, walk on as museum patrons. When a statue of Amneris comes alive and sings "Every story is a love story "...," the actors scatter offstage, returning after very quick costume changes to continue the story in ancient Egypt. (There are so many fast costume changes, in fact, that either many of the actors had dressers or costumes must have been flying in the wings.)

In the end, it's the tortured, haunting, sensual relationship between Radames and Aida that makes this production sizzle. Even in death, Radames promises Aida that he will search through a hundred lifetimes to find her again. Somehow, we want to believe that he will.