I believe it is important to know that AIDA, the Tim Rice & Elton John musical produced over and over again in the United States for its catchy tunes and tragic love story, is in some ways different here in Mexico. The biggest difference is that the musical is translated into Spanish and boy was it difficult to sing along. Another big difference is the mentality in which one views AIDA while living in Mexico and the United States. I in no way want to offend anyone in this article, so please take what I am about to say lightly. This is my opinion and my observation, nothing more. I have come to notice that in the United States we live among a lot of wealth. For that reason, the American perspective of AIDA shows how material worth doesn't give you the pleasure you desire in the end. With our educational system inculcating books such as The Great Gatsby and Romeo & Juliet (the play), among many others, we learn to depreciate the value of money as the means to a happy life, and rather look at happiness in terms of relationships and social pursuits. Countless movies demonstrate this trend as well, such as The Pursuit of Happyness, Cinderella Man, and UP, just to name a few. On the other hand, what I have noticed in Mexico is the pursuit for wealth as a major factor that drives most interactions. People see glimpses of wealth here and desire to be like those who do become wealthy (Carlos Slim, for example). I have experienced that at just about any opportunity most Mexicans will look for a way to make money. Whether that is because of their poverty or because of their desire to be rich is up for debate. Mexico is the country with the biggest gap for those who earn income, making it an extremely poor country for the majority. As I have interacted with many people, either on the street, the bus, in school, and elsewhere, I have come to learn that Mexico is a society where people will do anything to take your money. They will jump out at your car in the intersection for a couple of pesos just to wash your windshield. They'll hop on a bus for 5 minutes, sing a song and expect at least a few to pay them for their talent (or lack of it).
Thus as I reflected on how Mexicans could perceive this musical, I couldn't help but consider that they might disagree with how AIDA is played out. Indeed, Rhadames could have had everything, I mean, he had a woman that was madly in love with him, so there could have been a possibility that one day his feelings could allow him to love Pharaoh's daughter, Amneris. He had the kingdom of Egypt at his hands. With a society that looks for ways to get ahead and leave their poverish backgrounds, Radames is the biggest idiot. At the same time, those in attendance aren't those in extreme poverty, but we all know that Mexico is a relatively poorer country with one of the most dangerous cities in the world (Ciudad Juarez). I am in no way saying the United States isn't violent in some areas. We all know St. Louis, Missouri is the most dangerous city in the U.S., with my hometown Kansas City, Missouri as one of the other cities with an extremely high crime rate. But let's not kid ourselves. It's a completely different ballpark here in Mexico. Thus stated, it is important to consider how one society may react to another society's entertainment, because even though we are all humans, we perceive reality differently.
Now may I say how enjoyable the show was. The scenery was superb. Here's a picture of the actual set. I could only take this picture at the end so I can't show the incredible backdrops that were constantly changing for each scene.
The eye of this part could be replaced by some type of backdrop that changed colors. This was used in the "Like Father, Like Son" song. Here's the curtain they used that is similar to this backdrop.
The singing was exceptional, but I only had one qualm, which could have just been a stylistic choice. Most of the time when the performers would go for a higher note they would slide. Maybe that feels more appropriate since it's a pop-esque style of music, I mean, come on, this is Elton John we're talking about, not Verdi. Yet for some reason it said to me that perhaps these actors were incapable of really hitting a note dead-on. Again, it may be a stylistic choice, but I would have liked to have heard at least a couple of notes without having to slide up to them. The singers were excellent, though. Every major singer was right on. I was a bit sad, though, because I couldn't really sing-along, although I had an idea of what they were saying. It's different having to rhyme in Spanish. The lighting, costumes, and make-up were also superb. This was a top-quality production.
The director, Chema Verduzco, did an excellent job. At the end he recognized his whole team which made possible the entire production. It was a lengthy but worthwhile recognition. They were sponsored in part by the XVI Juegos Panamericanos which were still occurring during this performance. Therefore, there were people from other countries that attended as well. Indeed, this American (North, Central and South) event brought many people here, and obviously they capitalized on this influx of capital to perform this show and maximize ticket sales.
Here are some photos of the playbill and one of the advertisements in the actual theater hall.
You can see on the back side the symbol of AIDA as well as the logo for the Juegos Panamericanos (Guadalajara 2011).
Well, all in all we enjoyed it. This was Gloria's first musical experience, and
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