Candide, a satirical operetta, takes you on a wild journey exploring optimism in the face of relentless misfortune. Based on Voltaire's 1759 novella of the same name, Candide offers a scathing critique of the philosophy of optimism, particularly the notion that "all is for the best in the best of all possible worlds."
The operetta had its world premiere on Broadway in 1956. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics primarily by Richard Wilbur, along with contributions from other notable figures like Dorothy Parker and Stephen Sondheim.
The story follows Candide, a young man raised in a sheltered environment who believes everything happens for a reason. He's thrust into a whirlwind of misfortune, encountering war, natural disasters, poverty, and heartbreak.
Through his experiences, Candide grapples with his unwavering optimism, constantly challenged by the harsh realities of the world.
Bernstein's music is a vibrant blend of classical, operatic, and popular styles, reflecting the diverse locations and situations Candide encounters. The witty lyrics employ satire and social commentary, poking fun at philosophical theories, religious hypocrisy, and the follies of human nature. Candide has enjoyed numerous revivals throughout the years, with interpretations that resonate with contemporary audiences. The musical's exploration of optimism, resilience, and the human condition remains relevant, sparking discussions about philosophy, fate, and finding meaning in a seemingly absurd world.
The Menier Chocolate Factory today has announced the full company for their brand new production of Sue Townsend's The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ - The Musical which opens in Adrian's 50th birthday year.
Broadway veterans Carole Demas, who originated the role of Sandy in Grease, and Sarah Rice, who originated the role of Johanna in Sweeney Todd, have teamed up to celebrate the music of Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt, composers of THE FANTASTICKS, 110 IN THE SHADE, I DO! I DO! and more. Demas and Rice have based their show on their 50 years of work and personal relationships with Jones and Schmidt.
The 71st Annual Tony Awards are this Sunday June 11th at 8/9c hosted by Kevin Spacey. It's the biggest award show of the Broadway season and it closes out a long awards season for Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals and plays. We can't help but wonder what chances this year's Best Musical and Best Play nominees have of taking home the ultimate prize...
Me The People: The Trump America Musical, a new musical revue with a book and lyrics by Nancy Holson (Bush Wars, The News in Revue on PBS - 5 Emmy Awards, Ludwig Live!) and directed and choreographed by Jay Falzone (Bush Wars, Cooking with the Calamari Sisters), will play at The Triad (158 W. 72nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues), it was announced today by producer Jim Russek.
Mark Rylance, three-time Tony Award winner (Jerusalem, Boeing-Boeing, Twelfth Night) and Academy Award-winner (Bridge of Spies), will return to Broadway in the critically acclaimed Shakespeare's Globe production of FARINELLI AND THE KING, a new play with music by author and composer Claire van Kampen, it was announced today by producers Sonia Friedman, Shakespeare's Globe and Paula Marie Black.
For two glittering weekends at the end of May, the world turns its attention to the movie event of the year: TheCaan Film Festival at Museum of the Moving Image. In celebration of the Bronx-born, Sunnyside-raised, and Sanford Meisner-instructed actor, the film series revisits twelve of James Caan's greatest performances, from May 19 through 28, with nearly all films presented in 35mm. The films feature performances for such great directors as Francis Ford Coppola, Howard Hawks, Michael Mann, Sam Peckinpah, Mark Rydell, Norman Jewison, Wes Anderson, and James Gray.
MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale), closes its 75th anniversary season with Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland on April 27, 2017 at 7pm at Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall (57th Street and 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019). The production will be conducted and directed by MasterVoices' Artistic Director Ted Sperling and will feature Kelli O'Hara (Contrary Mary), Bill Irwin (Master Toymaker), Christopher Fitzgerald (Alan), Lauren Worsham (Jane), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Tom Tom), Jonathan Freeman (Uncle Barnaby), Chris Sullivan (Gonzorgo), Jeffrey Schecter (Roderigo), Michael Kostroff (Chief Inspector Marmaduke), and Blair Brown (The Narrator), with the 130 singers of MasterVoices and Orchestra of St. Luke's. Musical Staging by Andrew Palermo, Costume Consulting by Tracy Christensen, and Concert Adaptation by Joe Keenan and Ted Sperling.
The Merola Opera Program launches its 60th Anniversary season on Sunday, June 11 with a Benefit Gala at City Hall and a concert immediately following at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, featuring some of the acclaimed Merola program's most illustrious participants. The 60th Anniversary concert will feature performances by Merola alumni from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and current and recent participants, including: soprano Deborah Voigt (1985); mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick (1983); Mark Morash, pianist and Merola Opera Program Music Director (1987); and soprano Tracy Dahl (1985); soprano Kristin Clayton (1993), mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook (1990), Bojan Knezevic, bass-baritone (1992, 1993, 1994), and John Churchwell, pianist (1996); baritone Quinn Kelsey (2002); 2013 Merola graduates mezzo-soprano Zanda Šv?de and tenors Pene Pati and Issachah Savage; soprano Julie Adams, and bass Anthony Reed, all from 2014; Amina Edris and Toni Marie Palmertree, sopranos; and Brad Walker, bass-baritone, both from 2015; and 2016 artists Sarah Cambidge, soprano; Amitai Pati and Kyle van Schoonhoven, tenors; Andrew G. Manea, baritone; John Elam and Jennifer Szeto, pianists; and director Aria Umezawa.
The production will be conducted by MasterVoices' Artistic Director Ted Sperling and will feature previously announced stars Kelli O'Hara, Bill Irwin, Lauren Worsham, Christopher Fitzgerald - with Jonathan Freeman, Chris Sullivan, and Jeffrey Schecter just joining the lineup - alongside 130 singers of MasterVoices, with Orchestra of St. Luke's.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) presents Macbeth, directed by Tony Award-nominee Liesl Tommy and featuring Jesse J. Perez as Macbeth and Nikkole Salter as Lady Macbeth. The show will run April 25-May 28 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).
Broadway and West End star Tam Mutu will star as Archibald Craven in The 5th Avenue Theatre's enchanting Broadway-bound revival of The Secret Garden. Mutu joins a phenomenal cast including Tony Award winner Daisy Eagan, Tony Award nominee Josh Young, Lizzie Klemperer, Charlie Franklin and Sean G. Griffin.
Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway In Chicago have announced full casting for the eagerly-anticipated North American tour of Disney's Aladdin, which begins rehearsals in Chicago on Monday, February 27.
After the resounding success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's State Fair (Cadogan Hall November 2016) and the sell out concert of Alan Menken & Lynn Ahrens' A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre, December 2016), with numerous five star reviews for both performances, The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is delighted to announce the full casting for its first concert of the 2017 season, the hit Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas.
After the resounding success of Rodgers & Hammerstein's State Fair (Cadogan Hall November 2016) and the sell out concert of Alan Menken & Lynn Ahrens' A Christmas Carol (Lyceum Theatre, December 2016), with numerous five star reviews for both performances, The London Musical Theatre Orchestra is delighted to announce the first concerts of its 2017 season.
Rose Theatre Kingston today announces the cast for the world premiere of My Brilliant Friend, a two-part adaptation of Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan quartet of novels which have become a global literary sensation.
American Symphony Orchestra will present Bernstein and the Bostonians, the second program in its four-concert Vanguard series at Carnegie Hall, on Today, November 18 at 8 PM. Music Director Leon Botstein will lead the ASO in a performance that pays tribute to the Boston School, a group of composers who lived, studied, taught, and composed in and around the Boston area.
GUYS AND DOLLS, hailed as one of the greatest musical comedies of all time, kicks off Asolo Rep's highly anticipated 2016-17 season, the fifth and final of its celebrated American Character Project.
GUYS AND DOLLS, hailed as one of the greatest musical comedies of all time, kicks off Asolo Rep's highly anticipated 2016-17 season, the fifth and final of its celebrated American Character Project.
25 years after the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical production of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children's story The Secret Garden, the Shakespeare Theatre Company (STC) and the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle will co-present the timeless tale from tonight, November 15, through December 31 at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F Street NW).
American Symphony Orchestra will present Bernstein and the Bostonians, the second program in its four-concert Vanguard series at Carnegie Hall, on Friday, November 18 at 8 PM. Music Director Leon Botstein will lead the ASO in a performance that pays tribute to the Boston School, a group of composers who lived, studied, taught, and composed in and around the Boston area.
Lyric Opera of Kansas City continues its 59th season with the Lyric Opera debut co-production of Mozart's masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro November 5, 9, 11 and 13 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
New York's Broadway and London's West End have long been the biggest destinations for live theater, and now, a new exhibition opening at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts honors the rich creative talent and award-winning productions in both cities. Co-curated by The Library for the Performing Arts and the V&A, where the exhibition debuted earlier this year, in partnership with the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), Curtain Up: Celebrating the Last 40 Years of Theatre in New York and London highlights how the theatre districts of both cities have flourished and developed since 1976. The exhibition, which opens at The Library for the Performing Arts in Lincoln Center onOctober 31, 2016 and is on display through June 30, 2017.
American Lyric Theater (ALT) and Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, in partnership with MasterVoices (formerly The Collegiate Chorale), presents The Halloween Tree on October 30, 2016 at 3pm in the Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 W 67th Street, New York City. Based on Ray Bradbury's classic novel that explores the origins of Halloween, composer Theo Popov and librettist Tony Asaro take us on an epic journey as a group of children search for their friend Pipkin, who has mysteriously disappeared on Halloween night. Conductor: Adam Turner. Featuring Mark S. Doss as Moundshroud; with Emma Grimsley, Shirin Eskandani, Spencer Viator, Brian Wallin, Michael Kelly, and Jarrett Porter with members of MasterVoices.
GUYS AND DOLLS, hailed as one of the greatest musical comedies of all time, kicks off Asolo Rep's highly anticipated 2016-17 season, the fifth and final of its celebrated American Character Project.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Group is very pleased to announce that Ken Davenport will join the company as Executive Producer for North America, effective immediately.
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