Village Theatre takes on big, bold "Aida"

With the Disney musical "Aida," Village Theatre is thinking big. And we mean big.

A popped-up version of the operatic romance between a Nubian slave princess and an Egyptian general, "Aida" is built for spectacle.

Think: Pyramids. Huge pro-jections of hieroglyphics and palm trees. A water ballet. The closet of Amneris — a walk-in number fit for the wardrobe of a pharoah's daughter.

The Elton John-Tim Rice musical (an irreverent, ultra-glossy take on the Verdi opera "Aida") was an eyepopper on Broadway, and on tour.

The Village can't promise the same level of glitz, but its sets have become increasingly elaborate lately. And "Aida" scenic designer Carey Wong is no slouch. Consider the fabulous Narnia he concocted for Seattle Children's Theatre's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

"Aida" also needs a trio of young, looker leads who can belt out those gooey John-Rice ballads. The Village has imported Marliss Amiea (to play Aida) and Michael Murnoch (as the warrior Radames). The romantic triangle is completed by Ryah Nicole Nixon, an alum of Village's Kidstage program, as the Egyptian royal Amneris.