Candide

Leonard Bernstein
New York City Opera

What a treat! I’ve wanted to see Candide for years and I don’t think I’ve had many opportunities. If it’s been playing I’ve been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

City Opera excels at these middle-of-the-road productions: Gilbert and Sullivan, high Sondheim like Sweeney Todd and Candide which isn’t really good for Broadway but isn’t a good fit for a traditional opera house either.

I was not disappointed. The production is grand. And, it was rehearsed and rehearsed well. I was reminded while watching it that staging at The Met is not really all that great. The rehearsals aren’t that extensive and singers are cast for their voices, obviously. But, here they took the time to work out scenes with one another and tricks like throwing backwards and there was a great comfort with both the stage and the sets. Even though it’s only playing for a few weeks, it had the comfort of a long-run musical. How did they do that? Tons of rehearsals? Perhaps. Well done, happy friends.

Daniel Reichard as Candide and Richard Kind as Voltaire, Dr. Pangloss and a few other bit parts deserve special mention. It was a tremendous treat to watch them both. I hope they both had fun with their parts and the production, because it felt like they did. Lielle Berman as Cunegonde was miscast. She has a weighty vibrato on a part that should be clear and light. It was the chief and only real disappointment of a strong evening by all involved.

One thing that was a surprise came in the overture. I’ve heard the overture a thousand times, probably. And, I never realized its close affiliation with circus music. It is circus music. It was wonderful. The phrasing in the middle of the overture where they time signature switches every bar or two, with all this space between each bar, was a delight. I’ve never heard it that way before and I’m glad I did. It now stands to be beat the next thousand times I hear it.

I forgot how strong the book was until I heard it the other night. And, really, just what a strong piece of theater it is. It’s utterly enjoyable and it was played up as such in this production, as well it should be.

One downer, of course, is the State Theater. I don’t find it attractive. But, really what push my buttons, actually, are the ushers. They treat the audience like criminals if you are sitting up high. At least it’s democratic; everyone gets yelled at once at a minimum. This isn’t the first time I’ve been yelled at or seen those around me get yelled at. And, I could do with a little less of the attitude.

There might still be a performance or two left and if you have time—you should go. It doesn’t come around every day. This is a great opportunity to see a fantastic performance.