Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida

Performing the premier of any show is always a challenge for any society and this production of Aida lived up to that challenge. The members of the ensemble were excellent and their singing was simply outstanding. LODS have a very experienced company and it shows in the way the members of the chorus performed, each with their own character.

It is always difficult for reviewers like me to consider who, in a production, deserves a special mention. In the case of this show, all three main Principals performed to a very high standard. Sarah Woolner’s performance in the title role was lovely, she looked the perfect princess and sang beautifully. Jenny Peoples also gave an excellent performance as the Egyptian princess Amneris, showing her impressive vocal range in a variety of singing styles, she is going to be sadly missed when she moves away from the area later this year. Last but by no means least, Ollie Gourley, playing Radames, was excellent, displaying a range of emotions through the course of the production and demonstrating the power and range of his great voice.

The Director, Sallie Warrington, produced a simple but effective production, making good use of the stage and her choreography was edgy and entirely suitable for the atmosphere of the show. It is a minor thing, but there was a point when Amneris came on stage to see Radames and Aida together, I would have liked to see her face as she realised the relationship between them but, unfortunately, from where I sat, Amneris was completely masked by the other two and I was not able to see her witness this traumatic moment in the plot. It was a shame but did not detract in any way from my overall enjoyment of the show and, that moment apart, we could see and hear everything that was going on.

Scenery was simple, but effective and the use of a gauze made the scene changes smooth and kept the pace going. Costumes were good, with the effective use of colour to give a definition to the performances. I wasn’t sure, at first, about mixing traditional costumes with modern day ones but, in fact it worked very well indeed.

Overall an excellent production, well done LODS.

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