The Best of all Possible Worlds
Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is a supercharged wild ride in which 18th-century France crashes into 20th-century post-war America. Take a seat and strap in tight for a mind-boggling journey as we hurtle through a fantastical world of chaos – from castles in the Alps to skyscrapers in Montevideo, from earthquakes in Lisbon to the Amazonian jungles beyond the Andes. With societies riven by inequality and families displaced by war today, the story remains as relevant now as when it was first written in 1759.
From Bernstein’s compositional brilliance to the razor wit of Dorothy Parker, Candide is an ebullient romp that pulls together the best of Broadway, the champagne froth of operetta and the timeless satire of Voltaire’s original novella. WNO’s new production welcomes an award-winning team, who won the National French Critics’ award in 2022 for their production of The Snow Queen, and brings this zany, imaginative world to life and up to date with music, animation, dance and political bite.
Production guidelines for Candide
Candide is an operetta that looks at the world through satire and comedy.
Based on Voltaire’s picaresque novel the story follows our optimistic and naïve protagonist, Candide, as he leaves the castle from which he is raised and embarks on a journey where he witnesses multiple hardships and experiences disasters. These include war, theft, slavery, rape, natural disasters, hanging and more before finally discovering that while our world is not ‘the best of all possible worlds’, everyone has the possibility to create the best world for them.
True to the original novel, Bernstein catapults us into this absurd world through dazzling music. The orchestra will be in full view, and animation will enhance the drama on stage.
Details of themes and scenes included in this production.
Please be aware that throughout this operetta there is anachronistic and explicit language used as well as themes that some people may find distressing. These include:
- occasional strong language
- reference to rape
- depiction of war and violence including murder
- misogynist language
- references to religious prejudices and blasphemy
- a scene that shows nooses culminating in two hangings
- references to slavery
- depiction of an earthquake / volcano erupting
Production warnings
Projections will be used throughout the performance, predominantly in black and white.
This show may contain flashing lights and there will be one use of a strobe lighting effect.
First published at Welsh National Opera, June / July, 2023
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