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?
Posted: 4/30/18 at 6:34am
If you did not like it, you should not recommend it.
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.
Posted: 4/30/18 at 7:14am
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.
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.)
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
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.
Posted: 4/30/18 at 1:38pm
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.
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.
Posted: 5/1/18 at 10:03am
Just watch Kristin Chenoweth's Glitter and Be Gay performance on Youtube. It's magical.
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.
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?
