One of the most anticipated musicals this month was finally unveiled on Sunday, starring “Seopyeonje” and “Singing the Legend” singer Cha Ji-yeon as the new face for the hapless Nubian princess taken into slavery in Egypt.

The show is the third local run of Elton John and Tim Rice’s legendary musical “Aida.” It had a very successful first run in Seoul back in 2005, lifting then-pop star Ok Ju-hyun, who played the princess, to stardom in the local musical scene. The show had a successful re-run in Korea in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in 2010.

On Tuesday, actress Cha had her first show as Aida since the opening night on Sunday. As proven by her previous work in the past, she was a powerful singer with a great voice, displaying dominating stage presence and charisma.

However, the 30-year-old actress at times failed to deliver the complexity of the extremely layered character, as her acting lacked nuance and subtlety. Cha and her counterpart Kim Jun-hyeon also failed to show enough chemistry together onstage.

Based on Giuseppe Verdi’s Italian-language opera of the same title, the plot develops as Aida becomes a slave of Egypt along with her civilians.

She soon gets attention from Radames (Kim Jun-hyeon), captain of the Egyptian army, who is expected to succeed the country’s throne after the Pharaoh’s death. She eventually falls in love with Radames, who is engaged to her boss and Egyptian princess Amneris. Meanwhile, the Nubians demand her to be their leader and help them find freedom.

Throughout the show, Aida is constantly asked to be greater than she actually is by her people, while helplessly falling for the man who in fact destroyed her home country. She also shares genuine friendship with the unhappy Amneris, who desperately seeks love and attention from Radames.

Aida would be a challenging role for any actress, as she is an unusually layered individual who is conflicted between her responsibility as a fallen nation’s leader and the pursuit of her personal happiness.

She’s a former princess who now works as a slave, a woman having an affair with her boss’s fianc. Her lover is her enemy at the same time. Therefore playing her requires nuanced acting and a broad range of emotions, on top of an impeccable singing ability to pull off her numbers.

Cha’s acting performance, however, was not convincing enough for the viewers to empathize with the character’s anguish and distress, and the difficult decision she makes in the end. She and actor Kim’s lack of chemistry, especially during the scenes made of dialogue, was also a downer.

On the bright side, its set design by Tony Award-winner Bob Crowley was impeccable, with its visually striking colors and history-conscious artworks.

Actress Jeong Seon-ah, who played Amneris, was also excellent, engrossingly delivering the character’s transformation from the vulnerably dependable young princess into the captivating, capable female pharaoh.

The show’s famous ending, which delves into the theme of spirituality, past and present, and reincarnation, will also please most local viewers.

“Aida” runs until April 28 at D-Cube Art Center in Seoul. Tickets range from 60,000 won to 120,000 won. Popular singer Sonya is sharing the role of Aida with Cha. For more information, call 1544-1555.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)