Elton John and Tim Rice wrote the songs for Aida, the 2000 Broadway musical based on Giuseppe Verdi's opera. John composed the music, while Rice wrote the lyrics; the book was developed by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang.
The musical began with Leontyne Price's children's storybook version of Verdi's Aida. Disney initially considered the project as an animated film, but after The Lion King, John preferred to develop another kind of production. The idea eventually became a stage musical.
Aida first appeared in Atlanta in 1998 before reaching Broadway on 23 March 2000. The Broadway production ran for 1,852 performances and won four Tony Awards, including Best Original Score for John and Rice.
The title can be confused with Verdi's original opera, which has music by Verdi and a libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. The Broadway Aida retells that story with a contemporary musical-theatre score, including songs such as “Written in the Stars” and “My Strongest Suit.”