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THEATER REVIEW Review: Lively 'Aida' features Camelot kids all weekend Comment By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News In the middle of the first act of the Camelot Theatre Conservancy’s “Aida,” Dylan Evans, playing Radames, the young heir to the throne of Egypt, finds himself halfway between his fetching betrothed and the dishy new slave girl from Nubia. He does a double take, registers conflict, then exits stage right. Cue up a big laugh. The Conservatory, Camelot’s educational program for young people, previewed “Aida,” Thursday night at Camelot, a show that found 29 theater students of different ages singing and dancing up a storm. The show features Zoe Lishinsky as Aida, Aubrey Campbell as her rival, Amneris, and Dylan as love interest Radames. Dylan is clearly younger than either of the leading ladies, but he makes a good show of it. It’s good to be Pharoah in waiting. But poor Aida. The only way the princess can save her father and her nation is to betray the man she loves. But since Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida” is a Disney vehicle, there will be an upside to the princess’s fate that’s not in the 1871 Giuseppe Verdi opera. With music by John, lyrics by Rice and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang, the 2000 Broadway “Aida” was based on a children’s book by the soprano Leontyne Price. Despite a mixed critical reception, the show won four Tony Awards and ran 1,852 performances. It was followed by road shows, one of which hit the Craterian Theatre (now at the Collier Center for the Performing Arts) in Medford a few years back. The show is the culmination of a six-week program of daily morning classes in acting, dance, voice and movement, and afternoon rehearsals in which acting students put their training to work on the stage. The kids are of widely different ages and levels of experience. It’s easy to see how “Aida” lends itself to a student enterprise. John and company use a wide emotional palette and mostly simple songs to tell a story in broad strokes. We begin with a bit of time-travel and quickly wash up in ancient Egypt, where Radames and the Egyptian army are returning from an invasion of Nubia boasting that “Fortune Favors the Brave,” which sounds every bit like an Elton John song. Princess Aida, whose identity is unknown to Radames, alone defies him (“The Past is Another Land”). He sends her to Princess Amneris, his intended, to serve as a handmaiden. Bad idea. A love triangle ensues. OK, getting plotty here. Let’s just say there’s a dying pharoah (Alex Weldon), an ambitious woman (Madison Garren as Zoser), multiple conspiracies and at least three people (Amneris, Radames and Aida) entangled in conflicting loyalties and emotions. The music is all over, from the ersatz reggae of "Another Pyramid" to the Motown-esque; "My Strongest Suit" (deliciously delivered with sass by Audrey, who moments earlier declared herself “first in beauty, wisdom and accessories”) to the gospel-inflected "The Gods Love Nubia." Zoe is a fine Aida, with a regal air and real vocal chops. A particularly fine duet with Aida and Amneris takes place at the edge of the Nile (“Not Me”). Camelot Education Director Rebecca K. Campbell directed and co-choreographed with dance instructor Sarah Gore. Also important in the mix is musical direction and a live combo led by Karl Iverson, vocal coaching by Kendra Taylor and acting coaching and fight choreography — and there’s a good one in the second act — is by Tyler Ward. Shows ($14/$9) are at 2 and 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Visit www.CamelotTheatre.org . Reach freelance writer Bill Varble at varble.bill @gmail.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Bill Varble for the Mail Tribune Posted Aug. 7, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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