Is Candide worth seeing

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 5:07am

A friend of mine wants to go see Candide- the Bernstein operetta- and I am on the fence. I have not understood or enjoyed it in the past. Is it worth seeing?

[geoffreyC]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 6:34am

If you did not like it, you should not recommend it.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 6:42am

Are you kidding? I am asking if perhaps I missed something years ago- and should I give it another try? Please do not answer this, Geoff- not interested in what you have to say.

[imeldasturn]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 7:14am

The book can be hit or miss, but the score is one of the greatest.

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:28am

The experience of Candide literally depends on what version of the show they're doing and which book they're using. There's at least six separate librettos for that show, though at the moment I think only two or three are licensable. All of them suffer from problematic storytelling and bloating, but man oh man is that score fantastic. If it's at an opera house or concert hall, absolutely go...the chance to hear that score with a full orchestra should never ever ever be passed up. 

[JudyDenmark]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:41am

What was it that you didn't like or understand in the past? If you were confused about the story or just weren't following it, that would be worth revisiting imho. But if you're the kind of person who finds that style of legit/opera vocals tedious... that part's not going to change. (Nothing wrong with that at all... just trying to get to the bottom of what you didn't like.)

[freewilma]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 11:46am

It's at the Kennedy Center this month as a visiting production. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/OSOSF  This particular production was most recently in LA, but the leads seem to be different in DC.  The show was directed by Zambello and seems to have been around for a few years now; with it's original iteration in 2015. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/candide-opera-1079900

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 12:44pm

The only Candide I've ever liked was the Lonny Price concert adaptation. Not just the cast but his changes to the book, score and structure was the most enjoyable to me. I wish that version was available to license. I believe it was largely based on the 1997 version and I don't think that one is even available.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 1:38pm

After seeing the recent Carnegie Hall concert, I would say no. Or go for the first act and then leave whenever you feel like it after that. I like the original novella. There are positives and negatives in how it was adapted for the stage. I think it loses a lot of the bite and pointed satire and the plot feels like it just goes around it circles. I think it's structurally off and never comes to a very satisfying conclusion. "Make Our Garden Grow" is pretty but to me it doesn't resolve the themes of the show in a really satisfying way. There are some wonderful songs, particularly in act 1, but I just don't find Candide to be an interesting character and while his songs are pretty for a tenor, they'd probably be the first things I'd cut to give the character more depth. Cunegonde is a shallow but fun role and "Glitter and Be Gay" is oft-performed for a reason. I will say that while I loved Erin Morley in Hoffman, she was a bit of a letdown in the concert. Chenoweth was better. I wouldn't go just for Ebersole because she doesn't have a big part. If you're familiar with the show, I feel like the question of whether or not to see a particular production is about casting. You know it's never going to be perfect (unless someone is doing rewrites) so it's about whether you want to see particular actors/singers perform those songs.

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 8:59pm

Thanks so much everybody- still making up my mind- for whatever reason- have never been able to really comprehend Candide- or Pacific Overtures- and really do have an interest in these two shows - maybe I need to prepare more and read a good synopsis so I do not get lost. Thank you all so much for your input. Very interesting points of view.

[Charley Kringas Inc]

Posted: 4/30/18 at 9:47pm

Just stay home and listen to the fabulous 1973 revival recording, which is the only version that's ever made functional dramatic sense to me, mostly by virtue of being short and zippy.

[BroadwayStar4]

Posted: 5/1/18 at 10:03am

Just watch Kristin Chenoweth's Glitter and Be Gay performance on Youtube. It's magical.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/1/18 at 11:57am

I think Candide is a marvelous score but most versions of it are not a very good evening of theatre. But a listening experience? Fantastic.

I agree the concert with Chenoweth is the most watchable version.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/1/18 at 2:21pm

It was the Hal Prince NYCO production that I first saw and fell in love with the show.  Erie Mills still performs my favorite Glitter and Be Gay, though Chenoweth is equally delightful.  But I think the 1973 Hal Prince and 1999 Royal National Theatre versions are the most engaging and coherent.  I saw the Zimmerman production at the Goodman and while it had some clever moments, the story was only further muddied with the use of various members of the ensemble providing narration and the staging was more about Zimmerman's style than in conveying the story or its message.  The reason Voltaire chose to tell this outlandish tale in such a manner should be the first priority over every production, though rarely does this ever seem to emerge in professional productions. 

This article certainly doesn't do much to generate interest in this particular production, though.  First of all, how is Candide more "troubled" than 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?!?!  And then the actor hired to play Votaire (Kelsey Grammer) is actually quoted as saying “The only thing I worry about is, will they still be listening, 45 minutes in? I’m barely awake. And I’m talking!”  Seriously, why does this man keep getting work?