Candide

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Taylor Renée Horne

Jeni Houser, Martin Luther Clark and James Ridge (from left) in "Candide."

Jeni Houser, Martin Luther Clark and James Ridge (from left) in "Candide," Madison Opera, 2024.

There are all sorts of contemporary parallels one could make for the story of Candide, Voltaire’s 18th century satire. Candide, a young adventurer, is taught to believe this is the best of all possible worlds, but, as they say, bad things happen to good people. Leonard Bernstein’s opera treatment is predictably vigorous. Although a flop when it was first produced on Broadway in 1956, it’s since become a classic of American opera. Madison Opera performs the show at 8 p.m. on April 26 and at 2:30 p.m. on April 28; Kathryn Smith, general director of Madison Opera, gives a talk one hour before showtimes.

media release: Madison Opera closes its 23/24 mainstage season with its first production in over 30 years of Candide, Leonard Bernstein’s beloved American opera. Based on Voltaire’s satirical novella, Candide mixes a dazzling score with comedy, tragedy, and impossible situations that result in a sublime whole. Performances are April 26 at 8pm and April 28 at 2:30pm in Overture Hall.

‌Set in 18th century Europe, Candide tells of a naïve young man who has been taught by his tutor Dr. Pangloss that this is the best of all possible worlds. Exiled from his home after caught kissing his beloved Cunegonde, Candide gets swept up in a series of adventures that test his belief in Dr. Pangloss’ teachings. As he travels the world, from Lisbon to Paris, Buenos Aires, Eldorado, and Venice, he is beset by a seemingly endless series of disasters, including war, an earthquake, and a shipwreck. By turns funny, moving, and deeply philosophical, Candide ends in the greatest finale in opera.

Candide was Leonard Bernstein’s fifth theater piece, premiering the year before West Side Story. When Candide opened on Broadway in 1956, one critic called it “the best light opera since Richard Strauss wrote Der Rosenkavalier.” It was nonetheless a box office failure, but its cast album became a favorite of music lovers. In the decades that followed, Candide was rewritten multiple times, with new lyrics, new books, and even new music. Its roster of lyricists includes Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Richard Wilbur, John Latouche, Stephen Sondheim, and Bernstein himself. The result has now taken its place as one of the great American operas.

“Candide is a simply glorious piece,” says Kathryn Smith, Madison Opera’s General Director. “No other opera has such a mixture of the sublime and the absurd, of impossible situations that both entertain and move. I am so delighted to be sharing it with Madison audiences, particularly with this amazing cast and colorful production.”

The large cast features both debuts and returning favorite artists. Martin Luther Clark debuts as Candide, the naïvely optimistic hero; Jeni Houser (Lucia di Lammermoor) plays his beloved Cunegonde, who is forced to make her own way in the world. Alan Dunbar (She Loves Me) is Dr. Pangloss, Candide’s mentor who insists that this is the best of all possible worlds. Meredith Arwady (Sweeney Todd) plays the Old Lady, Cunegonde’s companion with a practical outlook on life. Voltaire himself is played by James Ridge, a member of the core company of American Players Theatre. Robert A. Goderich (Salome) plays the Governor of Buenos Aires; Luis Alejandro Orozco (debut) plays Maximilian, Cunegonde’s brother; Hailey Cohen (The Anonymous Lover) plays the maid Paquette; and Scott Lewis (debut) plays Cacambo. In addition, many members of the Madison Opera Chorus play small roles, as Bernstein builds a true ensemble.

Brian Cowing directs this production, returning after his delightful choreography on She Loves Me (2022); he was recently appointed Artistic Director of Children’s Theater of Madison. The production comes from Des Moines Metro Opera (set design by Steven C. Kemp, who designed The Anonymous Lover for Madison Opera; costume design by Linda Posano); lighting design is by Matthew Taylor in his debut. John DeMain conducts, with members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The opera will be sung in English, with projected text.