Elton John’s Aida Transfer Hopes Fade???

The long-rumoured West End transfer of Elton John’s Disney stage musical Aida, based on Verdi’s classic opera about a Nubian princess forced into slavery in ancient Egypt, is looking more distant than ever. The Sunday Times reports that the cancellation of the show’s planned eight-month US tour, following a row with American Equity over casting non-union members, has repercussions on this side of the Atlantic. Although it won four Tony Awards after opening in 2000 on Broadway, where it’s still running, the show has had its share of mixed reviews, financial worries and creative disputes, and UK backers apparently wanted to see it prove itself on the road before committing to a London run. A West End premiere has been talked about for more than two years and, at one point, it looked certain to follow My Fair Lady into the Theatre Royal Drury Lane (See The Goss, 25 Apr 2002), but that was called off and the theatre has since been nabbed by Anything Goes and, coming up in the autumn, fellow Broadway musical The Producers (See The Goss, 27 Sep 2002).

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