The scathing Candide, published in 1759 by the French Enlightenment writer Voltaire, lampooned the philosophy that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” Nearly 200 years later, in 1956, a comic operetta version debuted on Broadway with a libretto by Lillian Hellman — aided with lyrics by an array of 1950s literati — and a brilliant score by the great American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein.
That didn’t last long — the public and press were unkind. But the original cast recording led to subsequent productions of revised versions that have made Candide recognized as a standout accomplishment of Bernstein’s long career. (He died in 1990 at age 72.)
University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music kicks off its yearlong celebration of the Bernstein centennial with a production of Candide in conjunction with the official “Leonard Bernstein at 100” celebration.
For Emma Griffin, an assistant professor of music in CCM’s Opera/Directing program, Candide is the perfect vehicle for our tense and anxious time. “Voltaire was doing satire just like Jon Stewart and Samantha Bee,” she says. “Although the story isn’t realistic, it’s about how people respond to modern events.”
The naïve Candide travels the world, enduring the horrific consequences of war, murder, rape, natural disasters and human depravity. He struggles to maintain his faith that all is for the best, until he’s right back where he started. He concludes, “We have to cultivate our gardens.” Voltaire’s satire underscores the inherent danger in “an unconsidered world view,” according to Griffin.
Using the music to tell these darkly comic stories in an age of anxiety is a challenge. This production needed to confront the difficulty that what was funny at the production’s premiere and revivals doesn’t necessarily hold up. “Comedy doesn’t work unless it’s super-current,” Griffin says.
Griffin’s solution is to use the entire ensemble in what she calls a deeply theatrical way. CCM’s staging uses a simple one-room set design. “There are 23 performers in the cast and they’re onstage all the time,” she says. “With the exception of Candide, everyone else knows they are play-acting, so they can step back and react to what’s going on. We keep the ball juggling.”
The cast members consist of CCM opera students, one musical theater student and three actors and performers who assume multiple roles. Student performers will be doing a lot of dancing, choreographed by CCM musical theater alumna Katie Johannigman.
The show itself has a history as convoluted as Candide’s travels, with numerous revised versions. CCM’s was staged in 1982, known as the New York City Opera House version. In addition to Bernstein’s music, it has a book by Hugh Wheeler and lyrics by Richard Wilbur, Stephen Sondheim, John La Touche and Bernstein himself.
Mark Gibson, CCM music professor and director of Orchestral Studies, knows it well. Prior to studying with Bernstein, Gibson worked with the New York City Opera on a 1983 revival and prepared the orchestral and vocal performers for a 1986 recording.
The best-known number is the rollicking overture, which Gibson says is among the top five that his students perennially choose for a concert opener.
“Lenny had two speeds — frisky and sentimental,” Gibson says. “What’s wonderful about (Candide) is that when it’s artifice, it’s artifice and when it’s true, it’s true. That’s just who he was.”
Both Gibson and Griffin agree that the score is also uniquely American, despite the occasional nod to European symphonic themes. Bernstein was clearly on to something: One year after Candide opened, West Side Story had its premiere.
Personally, my strongest memory from the first time I saw Candide is of the performers’ clear delight in juggling the multiple roles and the plot’s comic absurdity. Griffin and Gibson express hope that others will be delighted by this production, especially first-time audiences.
“There’s nothing like a live performance, especially by people who are having fun,” Griffin says. “In times of high anxiety, that’s worth a lot.”
Candide runs Thursday-Sunday at CCM’s Patricia Corbett Theater on the UC campus. Tickets/more info: ccm.uc.edu.
This article appears in Nov 8-15, 2017.
