Staging the wondrous but elusive 'Candide'
Will there ever be a definitive 鈥�Candide鈥�? Does there need to be one?
The blessing (or curse) in staging Voltaire鈥檚 acidic, seriocomic 18th-century novel 鈥淐andide, or The Optimist鈥� as musical theater began in 1956 when composer Leonard Bernstein wrote a magnificent score as part of bringing the story of 鈥淐andide鈥� to Broadway.
The show itself was a flop. But the music, with its sassy and memorable pastiche of styles, lived on in recordings. And the jaunty overture became a staple in the repertoire of symphony orchestras.
鈥淐andide鈥� 鈥渋s probably Bernstein鈥檚 grandest, wittiest, most sophisticated theater score, showing the full range of his talents ... all of it crafted with a virtuosity far beyond the capacities of most Broadway composers,鈥� writes music critic Peter G. Davis. Bernstein himself said, 鈥淭here鈥檚 more of me in that piece than anything else I have ever done.鈥�
The musical styles range from tango, mazurka, waltz, gavotte, and schottische (a German country dance) to parodies of classical composers, notes Broadway historian Stanley Green. The song 鈥淕litter and Be Gay,鈥� which demands a tour de force from a comic actress/soprano, pays off as the showstopper. The hymnlike finale, 鈥淢ake Our Garden Grow,鈥� puts a soaring, affirmative exclamation point on a show that鈥檚 otherwise laced with cynical humor.
Because Voltaire鈥檚 work takes place in myriad locations on several continents, in places both 鈥渞eal鈥� and imaginary, it creates problems for anyone attempting to stage it. And the ambition of Bernstein鈥檚 score makes 鈥淐andide鈥� an attractive proposition for opera companies as well, raising the question: Is 鈥淐andide鈥� musical theater ... or opera?
All this has worked against settling on a 鈥渄efinitive鈥� version. Besides its 1956 Broadway debut, 鈥淐andide鈥� was rethought, reworked, and restaged (including the addition and subtraction of musical numbers) three more times (1974, 1982, 1988) during Bernstein鈥檚 own lifetime. It returned to Broadway in 1997, and in 2004 the New York Philharmonic presented a concert version that headlined Kristin Chenoweth.
The most recent 鈥淐andide鈥� adaptation, conceived and directed by MacArthur 鈥済enius鈥� award winner Mary Zimmerman, just landed in Boston at the Huntington Theatre Company (through Oct. 16), after runs in the last 12 months at Chicago鈥檚 Goodman Theatre and Washington鈥檚 Shakespeare Theatre Company.
Only time will tell if it becomes a 鈥渄efinitive鈥� staging. But Ms. Zimmerman鈥檚 鈥淐andide鈥� surely is a worthy candidate.
In the story, a poor, good-hearted, if naive young man (Candide) searches the world for his love, Cunegonde. He tries to follow the philosophy of his childhood tutor, Dr. Pangloss, who has assured him that no matter what happens it is all for the best in this 鈥渂est of all possible worlds.鈥� (That bit of questionable wisdom is Voltaire鈥檚 parody on the views of 17th-century German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.)
Zimmerman solves the problem of frantic globe-hopping onstage through clever, overtly theatrical devices, from a miniature hot-air balloon on a rope pulley and a miniature sailing ship on a stick, which symbolize travel, to dumping tiny toy soldiers down a trap door, which denotes the casualties of war.
In fact, 鈥渃lever鈥� and 鈥渢heatrical鈥� are adjectives that well describe the whole of this thoroughly entertaining production (though the running time of nearly three hours makes one wonder if a little tightening here and there could still be done as a nod to modern attention spans).
Geoff Packard as Candide, Lauren Molina as Cunegonde, and Larry Yando as Dr. Pangloss 鈥� who鈥檝e traveled with the show as it鈥檚 moved between Chicago, Washington, and Boston 鈥� are a delightful trio of leads among a superb cast. A 14-piece orchestra attacks the Bernstein score with verve and precision, though ears accustomed to 鈥淐andide鈥� recordings may still long for the lush sound of a full symphonic orchestra.
One hopes this marvelous 鈥淐andide鈥� will continue to make the rounds of the nation鈥檚 top regional theaters. And it deserves a chance someday to charm Broadway audiences, too.
Is this the best of all possible 鈥淐andides鈥�? It certainly is an awfully good one.
