Curtis Opera Theatre presents Leonard Bernstein’s Candide

Voltaire was a witty man of letters and lively philosopher in the French court, who in this fiction challenged a perspective popular at the time: that we live in the best of all possible worlds and should be satisfied with things as they are. To demonstrate the folly of this belief, the French contrarian proceeds to take his main character, the gullible Candide, on an international course of misadventures. In the end, Candide learns it is best to “cultivate one’s own garden” and not expect too much from fallible humanity.

Curtis takes flight

If this sounds rather dry as a premise for a comic musical, here is where the artistry of Curtis Opera Theatre takes flight. Conductor David Charles Abell and stage director Emma Griffin unbottled the explosive drive and pent-up talent of a cast of brilliant artists and musicians, and nurtured their development in these roles, taken on for a mere two performances. From the sizzling overture to the resounding final chorus, this was a class production allowing artists to shine and audiences to laugh unabashedly and perhaps shed a tear of appreciation for the gift of so much musical talent.

The spartan stage, consisting of a red-painted wall and a few doors, hosted a whirl of performers in costumes ranging from drab denim to the flamboyant rumba style of Carmen Miranda. The pace was appropriately frantic, like the BBC’s The Goes Wrong Show on steroids. But central to the success of this madcap creation were the two primary leads: tenor Landry Allen as Candide and soprano Emilie Kealani as his beloved, Cunegonde. An active presence on stage throughout the work’s two acts, Landry’s lyrical voice filled the theater with abundance and grace, clearly articulated with just the right amount of naïveté.

But Kealani was the one Candide watchers had come to hear, and they were not disappointed. In the iconic aria “Glitter and Be Gay”, with its high Cs (and then some), Kealani demonstrated a joy in singing, an empathy with her outrageous stage personality, and jaw-dropping technique. Her vocal projection was astonishing. The vibrato may have been a little strong for much of the operatic repertoire, but appropriate for a light opera or musical such as this in which a leading female character has to assert an unforgettable personality.

Emilio Vásquez was also onstage through much of the production as Dr. Pangloss, Candide’s teacher and the source of the “best of all possible worlds” philosophy. Vásquez’s voice is a light baritone, remarkably clear and expressive. He is a fine actor as well as vocalist, with a gift for subtle comedy. Endearing in the role of the maid Paquette was soprano Emily Damasco, a versatile singer with true comedic talent. Baritone Nathan Schludecker as Maximilian and bass-baritone Ethan Gray as the Baron also offered excellent performances. And one of the star soloists, Katie Trigg as The Old Lady, sang her sarcastic aria “I am easily assimilated” with true Broadway impertinence—a high point of the second act.

Kudos also to lighting designer Oona Curley for some tremendous special effects, which added excitement and depth to the production without breaking the bank. And the Curtis Symphony under Abell’s direction played with swagger and in-line with Bernstein’s daunting syncopations.

The challenge of a madcap show

However, despite Candide’s unrelenting pace, this two-hour production seemed longer than it was. Nonstop madness is difficult for audiences to process over time. Our brains can handle only so many story threads before becoming entangled. For example, the audience laughed tirelessly through the first act, but seemed less moved in the second, except for the rousing (one could say deafening) finale with everyone on stage, including the musicians, and a colorful banner of rural scenes rising behind them.

And although I applaud the use of flashing lights to create drama, there should have been an advisory to alert sensitive patrons. Curtis’s Candide was an extroverted creation that deserved to be illuminated with uninhibited imagination. But ticket-buyers also need to know what to expect.