“This is the story of a love that flourished in a time of hate.”
Aida tells the story of two lovers who come from opposite backgrounds in Eygpt but despite all obstacles, they devote their love to each other until their last breath. Based on the opera of the same name, the show opened on Broadway in March 2000 and starred the incredible singer and actress Heather Headley.
Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, press releases announced that the show would return to the Broadway stage for a revival in 2021 with Schele Willams, an original cast member, as director of the production. While we patiently wait for the project to grow to fruition, we wonder what the cast would look like if told in a new, innovative, and ALL BLACK EVERY-THANG way?
Cynthia Erivo as Aida
Cynthia Erivo
Filling the iconic shoes of Heather Headley is NOT an easy task, so who’d better than another powerhouse voice such as Cynthia Erivo? The on-her-way-to-be EGOT actress has portrayed a wide variety of strong Black women on screen and on stage, so hearing her tackle classics such as “Easy As Life” and “Dance of the Robe” would give us more reasons to love her work!
Noah J. Ricketts as Radames
Photo courtesy of Courtesy Jacob Smith Studios
Noah J. Ricketts made his Broadway debut as a swing/replacement in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical but rose to fame in 2019 when he gained the starring role of Kristoff in Disney’s Frozen on Broadway. Ricketts. So let’s talk about UNDERRATED PERFORMERS! Noah’s rich, buttery tone has the level of fierceness to showcase Radames’s power as Captain of the Egyptian army while always showing the tender and complex side he develops when he falls in love with Aida.
Alysha Deslorieux as Amneris
Alysha Deslorieux
Another Broadway queen whose name we do not hear often…. but should. Queen Deslorieux has played a wide range of characters such as Andrea in Once on this Island, Deloris in Sister Act, and Eliza in Hamilton. Seeing her portray a role as deep and powerful as Amneris would take this show to the next level and her elegant and unique voice could take “I Know the Truth” to the Top 10 in no time.
Brian Stokes Mitchell as Zoser
Photo courtesy of Brian Stokes Mitchell’s official website.
Ragtime. Jelly’s Last Jam. Man of La Mancha. Kiss Me Kate. You name it- Stokes has done it. Brian Stokes Mitchell has graced Broadway’s catalog for over three decades and we would love to see him join the revival cast of a classic such as AIDA. His impressive baritone range would definitely bring a new, jazzy twist on “Another Pyramid”. As for portraying the father role to Ricketts, this would be one hell of a way to bring together the new generation of Broadway to the OGs that paved the way!
DeMarius R. Copes as Mereb
You last saw him play the vibrant Damian Hubbard in Means Girls on Broadway- and we would LOVE it see him take on Mereb in Aida. Mereb requires a young but capturing male who is first to recognize Aida as the Princess of Nubia. DeMarius’s fresh face and elegant voice in “How I Know You” could definitely pull all of this off.
DeMarius R. Copes
Nkeki Obi-Melekwe as Nehebka
Rising to fame as Tina in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical on West End, then as the alternate to Adrienne Warren on Broadway, Nkeki Obi-Melekwe brings a spark to the stage many do not see often. Her remarkable voice and dance skills add more fuel to the fire of a stellar cast for a long-overdue revival.
Photo: Emilio Madrid-Kuser
Nick Rashad Burroughs as Pharaoh
Give it up for strong Black men on Broadway! Nick has given us everything we’ve needed in Kinky Boots, King Kong, and Tina on Broadway, and bringing his rich voice and impeccable moves to Nubia as Pharoah would allow him to showcase the acting chops as well. *SPOILER* having to act like you being poisoned throughout the course of the show is not the easiest task for anyone.
Nick Rashad Burroughs
Rodrick Covington as Amonasro
Rodrick made his Broadway debut in The Lion King and rose to fame once more in the Tony-Award winning revival of Once on This Island in 2017. With the physical appearance and incredible dance ability, he’d make a great fit to portray the King of Nubia and fierce Nubian dancer in the production.
Rodrick Covington Headshot
If we have to search a hundred lifetimes, we will find the perfect cast for this highly anticipated revival of AIDA. Let us know who’d you like to see in the show!!
