Starlight Bowl at Balboa Park (San Diego, CA)
The classic tale of a love between a soldier and an enslaved princess--a love that condemns them to death, but transcends the vast differences between the two warring nations, causing an era of peace and prosperity. With a passionate score that features stirring ballads and rousing choral numbers, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida is a modern crowdpleaser full of colorful sets and costumes and exuberant dancing and singing.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
All dates for this event have expired.
The last event was Sunday June 24, 2007 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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We thought it was a great show, good music/lyrics and the cast was excellent. Elton John and Tim Rice make an outstanding team.
I didn't know what to expect and hadn't been to Starlight for many years. I loved the music and the performers were very good. Seeing a show at this venue brought back memories. I'm glad the theatre's still alive and well in San Diego.
The event was fantastic. Great performers. They'll engagae you into the story and make you forget where you are.
This was my first outdoor musical and although I was fascinated by the experience, the airplanes flying past was a distraction since the theatre is right below the main landing path to the airport. Otherwise if you're good at blocking out additional noise, this play is a must see.
The seats were GREAT! Thank You
I really enjoyed AIDA~
although many planes pass by over this theater for landing -about every 10 minutes.If you don't get bothered by this-then it's a great place to see a play-the production does pause for the plane to pass as long as they are in a speaking part & not song.
The play, acting and set were wonderful.
I took my parents and my daughter to this as a fun alternative to a movie and because some friends are cast members. We paid next to nothing and had D section seats. The ushers would not let us move forward even though the seating was available and the tickets said D section or better. Still can't complain about the price.
The performances ranged from exceptional (Aida) to good to quite poor. The actor who played Ramades stumbled several times on his lines and lyrics but he has a very nice voice and it harmonized well with hers. The actor who played the villian, Ramades' father, was off pitch often and did a lack luster performance with his songs. The male chorus needs some tightening particularly in the dance numbers.
I thought the staging unimaginative and I've seen better use made of the campy songs. The play is an odd blend of modern, broadway belt and african roots music that in this staging only works sort of well.
Nothing too spectacular - simple set and costumes... no really catchy songs, just one Elton John's.
It was my first time there.. It was hard to hear in the very back.. and when I read about the tradition of the actors to stop talking when planes went over ... wasn't true.. they continued on thru the noise... I left early..
The venue was terrible. Every two minutes the planes are landing in San Diego airport. You cannot hear anything. The show, the music was good. It should have been in a different venue.
Good play. Even though we paid for section A seating we were like the very last seats of the section! Would have been nice to have closer seats.
It was a great performance. Great talent and story line.
Loved the show. Loved the location. It was an interseting approach how the actors paused when the planes flew nearby.
It was a first rate production - great lighting, costumes, singing; the only drawback was the venue, of course, with the planes flying in overhead.
The quality of the performance was very good. The venue was adequate - neat being outside, but not an ideal place.
the actors who played Amneris and Mereb were awesome!! The actors who played Aida and Radames were alright.
This was a great evening, even with the planes. Unless a song was in process, the actors paused for the planes to pass, then went right on. The leads were strong and involved the audience from the first few minutes. The sets and lighting were creative and contributed to the effectiveness of the dialog and songs. Loved our seat location - it was a very pleasant surprise to be close to the front and right in the middle! I am looking forward to my next event at this venue. My only negative was of my own making. I forgot my seat cushion in my enthusiasm and discussion of the show with others! The seats at the Starlight pretty much demand a cushion.
I love this site!! I go to a lot more events because of this site! Aida was great! a wonderful story, great cast, great music and a beautiful night under the stars. Just be prepared for LOTS of airplanes over head!
Terri
The production was quite good...a nice adaptation of the Verdi's original to Elton John's music. The theater itself is better suited for very loud rock concerts that would not be impacted by 757's passing close overhead at a rate of one a minute. I suppose that when the theater opened in 1936 the little biplanes landing at Lindbergh in daylight hours were not a factor.
I took my daughters (7 & 8) and their friend (9). We all had a great time. The kids really enjoyed it. I thought it was very good but being my first time at the Starlight I was just a bit distracted sometimes at the jets flying overhead. I would definitely recommend it though as the seats were actually very good. We were in the front section about 14 rows back just off the aisle in the section to the far right.
Balboa Park's beautiful outdoor amphitheater has been home to Starlight Musical Theatre's summer shows since the late 1940s -- but back then the actors didn't have to coordinate with airplane noise. The 4,000-seat bowl is in the flight path to Lindbergh Field, and it's a San Diego tradition for the actors to freeze in their pose in mid-song as the planes pass overhead.
“Aida is not opera. It's truly a pop musical with spoken dialogue and all kinds of recognizable song types: urban-based rhythm and blues, gospel inspired songs, ballads and, of course, Crocodile Rock songs.” --Elton John
Winner of four 2000 Tony® Awards, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida is a musical bursting with contemporary energy chronicling the love triangle between Aida, a Nubian princess stolen from her country, Amneris, an Egyptian princess, and Radames, the soldier they both love. Aida is an epic tale of love, loyalty and betrayal, with an exhilarating Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning score by Elton John and Tim Rice, their first collaboration since writing the music for the worldwide phenomenon The Lion King.
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