[Broadway Friday] Aida

Show: Aida

Type: Broadway Musical

Welcome to the very first Broadway Friday!

For the next few weeks, I will be writing little bloopets of some of my favorite Broadway shows on Fridays!

First up, the very first Broadway show I have ever watched when I was in seventh grade, which was back in 2003 to 2004 school year – Aida!

This show is one of the older shows back in early 2000’s, premiered from March 23, 2000 all the way through to September 4, 2004. And through this show, I have come to fall in love with Broadway at young age during my residency in Long Island with a help from my school taking me and my grade on a fieldtrip out into the city to have a Broadway viewing experience through Aida.

Aida is a story of a slave by the name of Aida, and the story takes place in Egypt. When Aida is brought into the land upon her capture, she is placed under Radames, a captain of the Egyptian army, to serve him. And if Amnris, fiancée of Radames, wishes, to serve her as well.

Of course, like any other slave would feel, Aida feels strongly against having to be a slave, let alone a servant most likely than not, to another unless if by the means of having to serve her own country, Ethiopia, where she was the princess. And her feelings towards her hatred for those that have captured her and those of her country to force them into slavery is clear from the beginning, and when even Radames chooses her personally over other Ethiopians, it’s clear that she has bitterness towards him. But over time, the two spend more and more time together. And with having to spend time with one another come getting to know each other. From it blossoms a relationship between slave and master, which soon evolves into a forbidden love.

This forbidden love obviously does not show right away, but when it does, it’s clear that Aida has warmed up to her master. If she had no feelings for Radames, why would she even begin to start acting kindly to a man who’s forcing her to remain his slave over setting her free? Let alone allowing her to go back to her country all the while providing a transportation for her?

It’s due to the fact that the two begin to develop feelings for one another and their forbidden love begins to blossom, it’s not long before the two begin to have an affair. Radames’ fiancée, however, begin to suspect that something is wrong when she feels as if Radames is keeping something from her. So, like almost any person that’s in a relationship feeling at unease probably would, Amneris begins to snoop and spy on Radames, only to discover one night that Radames is, in fact, in love with his own slave and have been having an affair behind her back. More so than anything else, behind his entire family’s back as well, and both he and Aida have been planning on an escape to runaway some place far away together so that they would never be caught.

Of course, this triangle love isn’t all that meets the eye when it comes to the love affair as well. Not only does Amneris figures that her own fiancé is having an affair with Aida, but by having to be with his own slave, Radames knows that he has placed his own life in danger. But in Aida’s situation and point of view, because Aida is a princess to Ethiopia, she believes that if she were to fully and completely fall in love with her own master, she is by then betraying her own country. After all, how easy is it to not believe that to begin with about the very person who took her to be his slave? And not even just her, but people of her country?

I cannot say if the movies are as close to the Broadway production, mainly because I don’t want to spoil the story all the way through to the end. But what I can say is that if this Broadway production was to return to the stage, it would most defiantly be a must go see show.