A Tale of Two Aidas

In the 12 years I have been photographing dress rehearsals for Opera Southwest (29 of them so far), there's never been a repeat production . . . until last February, when OSW presented a new production of Verdi's Aida.

The first Aida I photographed for OSW was in October 2015.  You can read my blog post about it (with images) here.  This time, however, I thought it might be fun/interesting to compare some aspects of the two productions.  A lot of things changed in the intervening years -- many obvious (like the set, the costumes, and the cast), some not so obvious (e.g., the stage direction and lighting choices).

Let's start with the set.  Both productions used a combination of 3-dimensional elements in front of a rear-screen projection of background elements.  But clearly the technology and graphics capabilities have progressed significantly in the ensuing decade:

2015

2026

Here's what the actual physical elements of the 2026 set look like without the lighting and rear-screen projection:

The topography of the sets differs significantly, too, which makes the use of the stage, lighting, and the spatial relationships of the characters different.

2015

2026

2015

2026

Then, of course, the casts are different.

Aida 2015

Shana Blake Hill

Aida 2026

Michelle Johnson

Amneris 2015

Kirstin Chávez

Amneris 2026

Olivia Vote

Radames 2015

Clay Hilley

Radames 2026

Dane Suarez

Amonasro 2015

Tim Mix

Amonasro 2026

Matthew Hanscom

A side note:  Amonasro is an Ethiopian prisoner of war that Radames has brought back to Egypt.  He's also the king of the Ethiopians, and the father of Aida, but at this point in the opera, his identity is not known to any of the Egyptians (except Aida).  So, to me, his costume in 2015 seems entirely wrong for an incognito king/prisoner, whereas his costume in 2026 makes sense.

Although the story, relationships, and libretto are the same, different directors will inevitably make different decisions about actions, gestures, movements of the singers, lighting, and other elements that bring the story to life.  Here are two examples.

In Act IV, Ramades is put on trial for treason.  The trial takes place offstage, but the priests who will judge him file past Amneris as they enter and return from the court.  In both productions, Amneris watches them file in, but from different vantage points and with different lighting:

2015

2026

After the trial, where Radames offers no defense and is convicted, the priests file out, again past Amneris.

In the 2015 production, Amneris physically confronts the priests, begging them for mercy . . .

In the 2026 production, Amneris confronts the High Priest, at first from a distance . . .

. . . then she comes closer, grabs the High Priest's knife . . .

. . . and threatens him with it . . .

. . . but to no avail:

Another example:  at the end of the opera, Radames and Aida are entombed and left to die; Amneris, above the tomb, mourns her loss.  Notice not only the difference in poses, but also difference in the lighting.

2015

2026

At the same time, of course, many actions of the singers are motivated (if not actually dictated) by the words of the libretto, and look very similar in the two productions.  Here are a couple of examples.

Amneris arguing with Aida:

2015

2026

Amonasro throws Aida to the ground while arguing (I didn't get a good shot either time, because it happened so fast):

2015

2016

Overall, the 2026 production's staging and lighting were more photography-friendly.  Here are some additional images from that production.

If you would like to see these images (and many more) in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!