LOS ANGELES NEWS
CANDIDE
Long Beach Opera will mount a production of Leonard Bernstein’s CANDIDE on January 23 and 30 at 2.30 pm and 8 pm in the Center Theater, 300 Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802. The one-act operetta, adapted from Voltaire’s 1759 novel, runs 110 minutes without an intermission. David Schweizer is the director, Kristof Van Grysperre conducts.
CANDIDE premiered on Broadway in 1956 with an original book by Lillian Hellman. Since 1974, it has been primarily performed with a book by Hugh Wheeler. The lyrics are by Richard Wilbur with additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and John LaTouche.
The operetta takes aim at political corruption, puritanical snobbery,
and inquisitorial attacks on the individual. Its hero, Candide, and his
beloved Cunegonde, battle hard against evil, insisting all the while that
they live in “the best of all possible worlds.” Bernstein’s
eclectic score mixes everything from Viennese waltzes to soaring arias
to Latin tangos. “It’s my personal love letter to European music,”
he said.
Starring in CANDIDE are Todd Strange and Jamie Chamberlin. The scenic
designer is Sean T. Cawelti, who previously worked on LBO’s 2008
production of Hans Gruber’s Frankenstein!!
Call 5620432-5934 or visit longbeachopera.org/tickets