Candide 10-11

“Candide suggests that blind optimism, or the idea that everything is part of a grand plan and that all is for the best, is not only absurd but also an excuse for inaction in the face of social injustice. Volatire’s and Berstein’s works remind us what people are capable of at their best—at the very same moment they are showing us what is worst. And in this way, the work manages to be affirmative—even transcendent—in the face of its own cynicism and satiric edge.”
–Mary Zimmerman (director) in An American Classic: Shakespeare Theatre Company

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Just in time for the holidays, the Shakespeare Theatre Company presents Leonard Bernstein’s musical masterpiece Candide.  This 20th century classic, based on Voltaire’s satire, has been newly adapted by acclaimed director Mary Zimmerman.  Follow Candide on a hilarious journey of countless misfortunes and obstacles challenging his optimistic and hopeful outlook on life and love.  Called “Eye-poppingly lavish” by the Chicago Examiner and “Ingenious… gorgeously imagined” by the Chicago Sun-Times, Bernstein’s Candide will enchant you with some of the most memorable music ever written for Broadway, featuring songs like “Make Our Garden Grow” and “Glitter and be Gay.” Don’t miss “the best of all possible Candides.” (Variety)

Click here for a full play synopsis.

Learn more in
ASIDES MAGAZINE

View a program from the production.

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“More tuneful than six ordinary Broadway scores…Candide is joy in a bottle.”
Washington City Paper

“Thoughtfully conjured, eye-pleasing entertainment…wonderfully sung.”
The Washington Post

“A pleasure to behold…polished, pretty and well-sung”
The New York Times

“Gorgeously imagined, sharply insightful, emotionally subtle [and] deliciously brainy…Candide is a grand garden of delights!”
Chicago Sun-Times

“The best of all possible casts!”
Time Out Chicago

“Eye-poppingly lavish…an extravagant parade of wonders. The cast…is an embarrassment of riches. Gardens bloom eternal in Zimmerman’s Candide”
Chicago Examiner

“Zimmerman makes many of the songs feel far more dramatic and layered than they have before…this version has potential to become the best of all possible Candides.”
Variety

“Every little detail is sheer perfection…a marvelous evening of entertainment.”
Around Town Chicago
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[accordion-item title=”The Cast”]
Tom Aulino*
Baron, Martin and others

Spencer Curnutt
Sailor and others

Rebecca Finnegan*
Baroness, Vanderdendur and others

Govind Kumar
Servant and others

Rob Lindley*
Anabaptist, Captain and others

Erik Lochtefeld*
Maximilian and others

Lauren Molina*
Cunegonde

Tracy Lynn Olivera*
Orator’s Wife and others

Geoff Packard*
Candide

Jesse J. Perez*
Soldier, Cacambo and others

Hollis Resnik*
Old Lady

Emma Rosenthal
Bird and others

Margo Seibert*
Paquette and others

Thomas Adrian Simpson*
Innkeeper, Schoolteacher and others

Chris Sizemore*
Orator, Grand Inquisitor and others

Joey Stone*
Soldier, Señor and others

Tempe Thomas*
Queen of El Dorado and others

Jonathan Weir*
Soldier, Governor and others

Larry Yando*
Pangloss and others

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

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[accordion-item title=”The Artistic Team”]
Mary Zimmerman
Director/Adapter

Daniel Pelzig
Choreographer

Doug Peck
Music Director/Additional Arrangements and Orchestrations

Daniel Ostling
Set Designer

Mara Blumenfeld
Costume Designer

T.J. Gerckens
Lighting Designer

Richard Woodbury
Sound Designer

Adam Belcuore, David Muse and Alan Paul
Casting

Telsey + Company
New York Casting

Jenny Lord
Assistant Director

Akiva Fox
Literary Associate

Beth Ellen Spencer*
Stage Manager

Benjamin Royer*
Assistant Stage Manager
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