It has music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, and book by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang, and was originally produced by Hyperion Theatricals.

However, Elton John chose not to pursue another animated project after The Lion King, so Disney executives suggested a Broadway adaptation instead.

Presented to Amneris, Aida is liked immediately, and she perceives that the Princess' love of fashion only serves as a mask of her insecurities ("My Strongest Suit").

Later that night, Amneris worries about her father's illness, and finds in Aida someone who understands and encourages her ("My Strongest Suit (Reprise)").

When she implores Radames to help the Nubians, he opens his heart by giving his possessions to them ("Not Me") and declaring his love for Aida ("Elaborate Lives").

The heartbroken lovers part, but Amneris has overheard their entire conversation and tries to face the fact that her upcoming marriage is a sham ("I Know the Truth").

Amneris foreshadows her role as a future Pharaoh by convincing her father to let the lovers die in the same tomb, an act of mercy for two people she has come to love.

As they are slowly deprived of light and air ("Enchantment Passing Through (Reprise)"), Radames swears he will search through a hundred lifetimes to find her again if he has to.

Back in the contemporary museum, the spirit of Amneris reveals that as she became Pharaoh, "the lovers' deaths gave birth to a reign of peace" between Egypt and Nubia.

Early readings featured Lisa Simone (Aida), Hank Stratton (Radames) and Sherie Rene Scott (Amneris).

[3] Elaborate Lives: The Legend of Aida had its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, where it ran from September 16 to November 8, 1998.

[4] The Atlanta production featured Heather Headley (Aida), Hank Stratton (Radames) and Sherie Rene Scott (Amneris).

During the Chicago run at the Cadillac Theatre, on November 13, 1999, a set mishap during the final moments of the performance injured stars Headley and Pascal.

According to an eyewitness report, while the two actors were being conveyed in a suspended boxlike 'tomb' at the climax of the show, the set-piece fell from its support, eight feet above the stage.

A subsequent press release from the show's publicist stated that Headley and Pascal sustained minor injuries and were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for examination.

The musical, now titled Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, premiered on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on March 23, 2000, and closed on September 5, 2004, after 30 previews and 1,852 performances.

Considered by its producers to be a financial success, Aida on Broadway recovered its investment in 99 weeks, and generated a profit of $12 million.

Sherie René Scott, who was with the project since its first workshop, originated the role of Amneris, and was named the Most Promising Actress in 2000 for her performance (Clarence Derwent Award).

The cast also included Tyrees Allen (Amonasro), John Hickok (Zoser), Daniel Oreskes (Pharaoh), Damian Perkins (Mereb), and Schele Williams (Nehebka).

Pop stars, including Deborah Cox, Toni Braxton and Michelle Williams played the title role of Aida during its run on Broadway, as well as Maya Days, Saycon Sengbloh, Lisa Simone and Merle Dandridge.

Notable replacements for Radames included Will Chase, Patrick Cassidy, Richard H. Blake, William Robert Gaynor, and Matt Bogart.

Notable replacements for Amneris included Idina Menzel, Jessica Hendy, Mandy Gonzalez, Felicia Finley, Taylor Dayne and Lisa Brescia.

The musical also had a non-equity US national tour during 2006–07 featuring Marja Harmon (Aida), Casey Elliott (Radames), and Leah Allers (Amneris).

"Strongest Suit" was staged as a scene in which Aida helped Amneris choose her outfit for the evening instead of a random fashion show.

There have been also productions of Aida in Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, Uruguay, Poland, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, Mexico, Croatia, Peru, Argentina, Estonia, Canada, Panama, Hungary, Brazil, Sweden, Denmark, China, Israel and the Czech Republic.

Aida has been translated into 16 languages: German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Spanish, Estonian, French, Hungarian, Croatian, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Hebrew, Czech and Polish (in 2019).

In both occasions directed by Manuel Ramírez-Gastón, Aida is one of Villa María's critically acclaimed productions of the past ten years.

Leontyne Price's original storybook version of the show had first been acquired by Disney with the intention that it should become an animated film, but it was never made.

However, the artist of that piece Ben Balistreri has stated that "This was nothing more than a class assignment given out by Frank Terry when I was at Cal Arts back in 1996... Frank brought in a newspaper clipping that Disney and Elton John were going to do an animated musical of Aida and our assignment was to create a line-up of the main characters and give them all Disney style sidekicks.