North Penn Theatre hit the ground running with preparations for their production of Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida: School Edition, holding auditions and callbacks directly after winter break. Following the long casting process and the new addition of understudy roles, the cast list was posted to the relief of all who had to wait. This year, the cast has grown to fill the demanding show; an Egyptian Romeo and Juliet story woven into fantastic dance numbers and songs.
Under the direction of Andrea Roney, Matthew Klenk, and Deborah Buckner, the new cast will develop their characters over the next three months until the big day. Show nights are April 25, 26, and 27 at 7 pm, with a matinee show on the 27th at 2 pm. The leads, including Pascal Portney as Radames opposite Shweta Akolkar as Aida, will have extensive rehearsals as they and the full cast begins “blocking rehearsals, beginning the physical movement and choreography for the show,” according to director Andrea Roney.
The students involved can’t wait to see the response from the community come show time. This musical is more contemporary than those North Penn has done in the past, encompassing a wide array of styles from rock to gospel to reggae. With all these different styles combined together, North Penn Theatre will dazzle the audience and keep them guessing.
“It has all the musical aspects, all the dance aspects, all the dramatics rolled into one,” says junior Kuhoo Verma, a female lead in the production. “I expect the response to be really, really huge.”
To stay up to date on Aida news, visit Andrea Roney’s webpage in the link below or look on the call board outside of her room F041.
Mary Nguyen • Jan 30, 2013 at 10:40 am
I can’t wait to see this! Definitely buying a ticket to come see Aida and I definitely know it will be a great show!