First there was Giuseppe Verdi, then came Elton John. Both composers have had a go at the story of Aida, the Nubian princess whose Egyptian captor falls in love with her. Verdi composed the opera Aida. More than a century later, John wrote the music for the pop Broadway musical of the same name. The touring production of the Broadway show, which has lyrics by Tim Rice, begins a six-week engagement at Washington's Kennedy Center Tuesday.

Set partly in modern days and partly in ancient Egypt, the libretto (by Linda Woolverton, Robert Falls and David Henry Hwang) begins in the Egyptian collection of a museum and journeys back in time, focusing on the love triangle between Aida, Radames (her captor) and Amneris, his fiancee. The touring company stars Paulette Ivory, Jeremy Kushnier and Kelli Fournier, under Falls' direction.

Show times at the Kennedy Center, off Virginia and New Hampshire avenues Northwest, are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Aug. 18. Tickets are $20-$79. Call 800-444-1324.