Oconee Youth Playhouse presents Aida

Oconee Youth Playhouse will present the Elton John-Tim Rice rock musical Aida Aug. 15-17 at the Oconee County Civic Center. Set in ancient Egypt, the “timeless love story” is based on the classic Verdi opera about a Nubian princess who falls in love with the captain of pharoah’s army, who is supposed to marry pharoah’s daughter.

Aida premiered on Broadway in 2000 and was named by Time magazine as one of the top 10 theater productions of that year. It was nominated for five Tony Awards and won four of them, including Best Musical Score.

OYP directors Terra and Shane Hannon saw the show on Broadway with the original cast and it remains one of their favorites. “We had seats in the first row and I was mesmerized from the opening moments of the show by Elton John’s powerful music and the dynamic performances on stage,” says Terra. “After the Act I finale, we were completely blown away, and we thought we’d be lucky to do this show at OYP one day.”

The first OYP production of Aida was in spring 2006. “We had a very strong cast for that show,” says Shane, “but the current cast is also packed with extraordinary talent.”

The title role of Aida is played by Jordan Richey, a senior at North Oconee High School who was Ariel when OYP presented The Little Mermaid last August. Thomas Peck, also a senior at North Oconee, was Prince Eric in Mermaid and again plays opposite Jordan as Radames. Ivy Hitchcock, who is homeschooled, plays Amneris, the pharoah’s daughter. She was Dorothy in OYP’s 2013 production of The Wizard of Oz.

Bailey Chastain, a junior at NOHS and a veteran of many OYP shows, plays Aida’s loyal friend Nehebka, while Cameron Loyal, a senior at Clarke Central, is making his OYP debut as Mereb, a Nubian servant to Radames who has a pivotal role in the story. Cameron played Javert in his school’s production of Les Miserables earlier this year.

Veteran local actors Bryan Shaw and Richard Hoard will reprise their roles from OYP’s 2006 production of Aida. Hoard plays pharaoh, while Shaw is Radames’ father Zoser, who schemes for his son to become ruler of Egypt.

“For this show, we also needed talented dancers to tackle some difficult choreography,” says Terra. Fortunately, she knew where to recruit them. Current and former members of the award-winning dance company at Oconee Youth School of Performance, which she also directs, will be seen in several big numbers in the show.

The directors rely on parents and other volunteers to create the elaborate costumes and sets that are a hallmark of OYP productions. “These shows truly are a community effort and we are always inspired by how willingly people take on these responsibilities,” Shane says. “We couldn’t put all the pieces together without this support.”

Aida will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 15 and 16, with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday, Aug. 17. Tickets, priced at $12-16, will be on sale during Saturday open houses at Oconee Youth School of Performance from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 9 and 16 and will also be available in the lobby of the Oconee County Civic Center starting an hour before each show (cash or check only). For more information, see the OYP website or Facebook page.