Maya Days will step into the title role of Aida on Aug. 20 when she replaces a vacationing Simone in the hit Disney musical at the Palace Theatre. Days announced the news on her official website.
Days, who starred as Mary Magdalene in the Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, will play the role of the Nubian princess through Aug. 31. Simone will return to the Elton John-Tim Rice production on Sunday, Sept. 1.
A New England native, Maya Days bowed on Broadway in Jonathan Larson's Rent, after appearing in the show's national and London companies. Her other musical theatre credits include Grease!, A Chorus Line, West Side Story and the aforementioned Jesus Christ Superstar. Also a pop star in the U.K., Days has released three top-ten hits.
Simone, the daughter of chanteuse Nina Simone and businessman Andrew Stroud, starred in the first national tour of Aida before joining the Broadway company. She made her theatrical debut in the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar and then starred as Mimi in the tour of Rent. She was nominated for both a Helen Hayes Award and a Jefferson Award for that performance. Simone is currently working on her debut album, "Simone Superstar."
Aida — at the Palace Theatre — features a book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang, sets and costumes by Bob Crowley, lighting by Natasha Katz, choreography by Wayne Cilento and direction by Robert Falls. The Palace Theatre is located at Broadway and 47th Street, and tickets are available by calling the Disney hotline, (212) 307-4747. A Dutch language production of Aida opened in Amsterdam in the fall of 2001, and a touring company is currently making its way across the country.
