The national touring company of Aida bids says goodbye to Los Angeles Jan. 5 after beginning a two-month stay at the Ahmanson Theatre back on Nov. 7. The Elton John-Tim Rice tuner moves on to Albuquerque, New Mexico, before visiting Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago (where this version of Aida took its pre-Broadway run) in 2002.

Aida's three leads are Simone as the titular slave, Patrick Cassidy as her captor and lover, and Kelli Fournier as his royal girlfriend, Amneris. Both Fournier and Simone have appeared in the Broadway Aida, while Cassidy most recently starred opposite Cheryl Ladd in the recent Annie Get Your Gun revival.

As with the New York edition, the tour is directed by Robert Falls, with Wayne Cilento doing choreography, and sets and costumes by Bob Crowley.

Disney's Buena Vista Theatrical Group is producing the tour. Aida began its tour at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre March 27-April 22, 2001. Upcoming dates include:

Jan. 16-20, 2002: Albuquerque, NM
Feb. 5-17: Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 20-March 10: Pittsburgh, PA
March 12-24: Cleveland, OH
March 27-April 14: Boston, MA
May 28-June 6: Hartford, CT
June 11-July 7: Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 20-Sept. 15: Chicago, IL
Feb. 25-March 2, 2003: Charlotte, NC Tickets in Los Angeles are available through Ticketmaster. The Ahmanson is on the web at http://www.taperahmanson.com.