Gaia Aikman, April Darby and Naidjim Severina are set to star.
AIDA, the musical by Elton John and Tim Rice has been reworked and updated, and the world premiere is set for 23 April 2023 in the AFAS Circustheater in Scheveningen. Stage Entertainment Nederland and Disney Theatrical Productions have announced hat Gaia Aikman (The Lion King, TINA - The Tina Turner Musical), April Darby (Sister Act, The Bodyguard) and Naidjim Severina (The Lion King, Kinky Boots) will play the lead roles in the production.
The updated version of AIDA differs in a number of respects from the version performed here from 2001 to 2003, which attracted 1.3 million visitors. It goes without saying that the iconic music and lyrics by Sir Elton John (The Lion King, Billy Elliot) and Tim Rice (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita) have remained the same, but the creative team, led by director Schele Williams, has given the musical a contemporary feel without compromising its original quality.
The narrative of AIDA remains intact in this renewed version. It is the compelling and fateful story of two lovers belonging to feuding nations, torn between their conflicted loyalties to their countries and to each other. This love story is set against the backdrop of a nation immersed in nationalism that seeks to expand its empire by invading another country.
Scriptwriter David Henry Hwang, also responsible for the original version of AIDA: "The classic tale of Aida has touched audiences across cultures and time. I'm thrilled to adapt the performance we created twenty years ago to the current era, so that the epic love story can speak even more powerfully to audiences today."