This "Aida," however, is a complete rewrite in terms of story and style, its roles tweaked to create strong female characters, and its plot infused with more than a soup‚on of "Romeo and Juliet."

In short, Aida, the princess of Nubia (an ancient realm along the Nile, due south of Egypt), has been captured and enslaved by Radames, Captain of the invading Egyptian army, who gives her as a gift to his betrothed, Amneris, princess of Egypt. Unfortunately, Radames and Aida fall in love, forcing them to either betray their countries or renounce their love. The original "Aida" ended in tragedy, but John and Rice manage a happy ending by reuniting the lovers in an afterlife.

Director Kyle Kakuno has used open casting, which brought in top performers from a variety of schools, including Sacred Hearts, Roosevelt, Mid-Pacific, La Pietra, Maryknoll, Kamehameha, Kai-muki and Kaiser, in addition to Saint Louis.

Sunday's cast was clearly the "American Idol" generation in an era of media savvy. Leads were accomplished young singers amid professional sets. No more the amateur backdrops, homemade costumes and student orchestras of past eras: these sets, costumes, and orchestra were all professional, relatively high-tech, and excellent.

The singers were even fully miked, which made them look and sound even more like Idols. There were the usual problems that go along with miking — audible breathing, entangled props, out-of-balance ensembles — but miking also meant lyrics were easy to understand and that cool sound effects — such as echoing in the death chamber — were possible.

Despite all the professionalism, despite the excitement of a new work, the real attraction was what it has always been with high school productions: the singer/actors. And Kakuno has directed them with exceptional skill.

The only professional actor, Mahi'ai Kekumu, is a Castle high graduate who has returned to Hawai'i after working as a member of the Broadway cast of "Aida." Kekumu assisted Kakuno in directing, choreographed the dancing and acted the male lead. Handsome, with a well-trained, expressive voice, he made a charismatic Radames.

His two leading ladies, Leihoku Pedersen Ellsworth (Aida), a senior from Mid-Pacific, and Tani Lynn Fujimoto (Amneris), a junior from Sacred Hearts, displayed impressive talent. They sang with strong, distinctly different voices and played their parts well. Ellsworth created an intelligent, noble princess trying to do what's right in an impossible situation and was clearly the heroine throughout. Fujimoto narrated the beginning and end with grace but really shone as the ditzy princess in "My Strongest Suit"; by the end, Fujimoto managed to make Amneris a sympathetic character by growing her up.

In secondary roles, both Adam Cho (as the Nubian slave and entrepreneur Mereb) and John Long (as Radames' despicable father Zoser) added spice, the former with gentle humor, the latter with incisive cruelty.

Supporting roles include the memorable Tanisha N. Armstead as the self-sacrificing Nubian slave Nehebka, Bryson Ka'ahanui as the Nubian King Amonasro, and Ricky Brawley as the pharaoh.

The main weaknesses in the performance came when sing-er/actors had to "fall out of" the music and carry the drama on their own through acting, most notably in those spots requiring rough handling of slaves, sword play and love scenes — those "dangerous" areas most difficult for young actors, precisely because they require emotions that threaten the boundaries between acting and real life.