How an Egyptian love story rocked Elton John

Giuseppe Verdi's Aida is one of the best-known operas. It has an exotic setting, life and death twists of fate, extravagant theatrical set pieces and, of course, Verdi's thunderous choruses and spine-tingling arias that heighten the drama at every turn.

There is a limited audience for a highbrow opera today but Verdi's story about loyalty, betrayal, courage and forbidden love is a universal theme that fascinates people from all over the world.

Disney Theatrical Productions adapted it into a modern musical that premiered in Atlanta in 1998 and opened on Broadway in early 2000. When it closed in September 2004, 1,852 performances were staged, making it one of the longest running shows in Broadway history, generating a successful national tour and several international productions.