Palmer High School gets ambitious with ‘Aida’

PALMER — If you spent some time in Palmer High School recently, chances are it wasn’t difficult to spot the cast of “Aida.”

“All day long, all over school, they’re doing their harmonies and dancing,” said Palmer High School music teacher Stan Harris.

Harris is the musical director for “Aida,” which means, play director Grant Olson said, Harris is doing all the work.

Olson said when he came across “Aida” — a production first put together by Elton John and Tim Rice, who were behind “The Lion King” — he thought it was perfect for a high school production.

“It didn’t have a huge cast, but it had great music,” he said. “The three leads have to have really strong voices.”

And, he said, he has that in his three leads.

One of them is David Banse, who plays Radames, the head of the Egyptian army in this show set in ancient times after Egypt conquered Nubia.

“I usually do more comedic roles and it was interesting getting into a serious role,” Banse said.

He described Radames as “a little bit of a space case,” a triumphant war hero with a tender side.

Mariah Lamb plays Amneris, the daughter of the pharaoh who is betrothed to Radames.

“She’s one of the more logical characters in the group,” Lamb said.

But the character has depth and two sides to her personality.

“It’s been a new challenge,” Lamb said of playing such a character.

Eve Anderson plays Aida, a Nubian girl taken as a slave and given to Amneris who nobody knows at first is the princess of Nubia. Playing the starring role has been tough, Anderson said. Throughout the show she only gets one break. She said she has a great role, though — a fiery princess who just wants to help her people.

“It’s amazing. I love it,” she said about the role, but also about acting in general. “I love putting my thoughts into the thoughts of someone else.”

Olson said that production is a big one.

“I think it’s probably the most complicated thing we’ve done,” he said, an estimation that Harris backed up.

But the kids are dedicated.

“They’re really working hard to get it right,” Olson said.

And they have more help than usual. Harris’ daughter and Palmer High graduate Miranda Harris is in town from San Francisco, where she is a professional dancer. She agreed to come on as choreographer.

“The kids are great,” she said. In fact, “they’re kind of victims of their own success.”

That they are so good, Miranda Harris said, that “we have gotten very ambitious with the choreography.”

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.

WHAT: Elton John’s Aida

WHERE: Palmer High School

WHEN: 7 p.m., Thursday, Friday and Saturday through May 11

COST: $10 for adults, $7 for students and seniors

Tickets are available at the door or by calling 746-8403.