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CANDIDE is a KNOCKOUT!—The Boston Phoenix
TRANSPORTING AND FLAT-OUT FANTASTIC!—Boston Herald

Featuring Leonard Bernstein's soaring score and lyrics from some of the wittiest writers of all time, this outrageous musical satire tells the story of the naïve Candide and his absurd hardships that challenge his optimistic outlook on life and love. This acclaimed new production directed by the Tony Award-winning Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses) enchants with some of the most memorable music ever written for Broadway including “Glitter and be Gay” and “Make Our Garden Grow.”

Video

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Audio

  • CANDIDE Overture

    Listen to the Candide overture, composed by Leonard Bernstein.

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  • NPR's Robert Siegel's interview with Lauren Molina (Cunegonde)

    NPR's Robert Siegel talks to actor/singer Lauren Molina about her performance in the musical Candide by Leonard Bernstein, during its revival at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C.

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Photos

Articles

Press Reviews

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"CANDIDE is a KNOCKOUT! One of Boston's most gratifying Broadway revivals. — The Boston Phoenix
"TRANSPORTING AND FLAT-OUT FANTASTIC! When the full cast opens up their voices for the finale, it's a culmination of all the endless riches and complexity of this soaring, lush Candide. — Boston Herald
TRANSCENDENT, ENTHRALLING, INSPIRED! Be transported by this thrilling production — it will live in your memory long after it is gone.— BroadwayWorld.com
Dazzling, jubilant, and stirring! It's a story that, like life itself, begins in laughter and ends in tears.THEATRE THIS GREAT DOESN'T COME AROUND THAT OFTEN. DON'T MISS IT!— Wicked Local/TAB
ABSOLUTE PERFECTION! If you see nothing else this season, see Candide. — Joyce Kulhawik
PHENOMENAL! Hilarious! Brilliantly directed! The music is gorgeous. I don't think I've ever used this word to describe a production, but this is GENIUS! — Jared Bowen, WGBH
Extraordinary vitality! Gorgeous, exuberant music. A robust and vivid production!

"Lauren Molina is just wonderful as Cunegonde. She brings comic zest to Cunegonde's aura of self-delight and heart-rending poignancy to her downfall. Take Molina's show-stopping performance of 'Glitter and Be Gay.'— The Boston Globe
THOROUGHLY ENTERTAINING! Glorious, clever, and theatrical. A superb cast. This Candide deserves a chance to charm Broadway audiences! — The Christian Science Monitor
EXHILARATING! Superbly sung and acted!

Despite its determined silliness, this Candide becomes genuinely moving by the end. It is very hard not to turn into an unreasonable optimist when presented with a Candide this enjoyable. Lauren Molina's "Glitter and Be Gay" is one of the standouts of the evening, a miraculous collision of shame and self-admiration that makes for razor-sharp, black comedy. — ArtsFuse.com
LUSH, BOISTEROUS, AND BEAUTIFUL! The audience leapt to its feet! — Cape Cod Times
BRILLIANT! All of the elements take your breath away. 'Glitter and Be Gay' is genius, about as funny a ten minutes as you'll spend in the theatre this year. — EdgeBoston.com
I cannot say enough good things about Candide. JUST GO! — Weekly Dig
A CAN'T MISS PRODUCTION! Candide is the total theatrical package. Bravo!—BerkshireFineArts.com
LAUGH-OUT-LOUD BRILLIANT! The most satisfying version of Candide, it sends each of us out of the theatre in a soaring and hopeful mood. — The Boston Music Intelligencer
STUNNING! Visually awe-inspiring, astonishingly witty, and deliciously funny — this production was anything but ordinary. I can't say enough! — MyEntertainmentWorld.ca
More Reviews

Features

  • CANDIDE'S LAUREN MOLINA: THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS

    From Harvard ArtsBeat, Oct. 6, 2011: "Actor Lauren Molina is one of those rare performers whose stage performance — both acting and singing — can be both poignant and very, very funny. She's part Mary Martin, Lucille Ball, Kristen Wiig and [fill in the blank with your favorite opera star because Molina has one of the most powerful and flexible voices in the annals of Broadway]. . . . "

  • HUNTINGTON TAKES ANOTHER RUN AT CANDIDE

    From RadioBoston, Sept. 23, 2011: "When Leonard Bernstein unveiled the score for his Candide, critics threw just about every superlative possible at the legendary composer. The show, however, was a complete flop. That's where Boston's Huntington Theatre Company comes in. . . . "

  • BERNSTEIN'S CANDIDE OPENS HUNTINGTON SEASON

    From BU Today, Sept. 21, 2011: "Legendary composer and maestro Leonard Bernstein once said that there was more of himself in his musical Candide than in any of his other celebrated works. . . . "

  • MARY ZIMMERMAN DIRECTS CANDIDE

    From Berkshire Fine Arts, Sept. 19, 2011: "Mary Zimmerman is a member of the Lookingglass Theatre Company and is an Artistic Associate of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. She has earned national and international recognition in the form of numerous awards, including the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship (1998) . . . "

  • A CANDIDE THAT HAS A LOT TO SAY

    From The Boston Globe, Sept. 9, 2011: "Perusing the manuscripts in the Leonard Bernstein Collection at the Library of Congress late last year, Tony Award-winning director Mary Zimmerman suddenly grasped the sheer multitude of possibilities the composer had left behind for adapters of his 1956 musical Candide. . . . "

  • A VOLTAIRE MUSICAL? MUST BE MARY ZIMMERMAN AT THE GOODMAN

    From Chicago Tribune, Sept. 10, 2010: "In the Goodman Theatre rehearsal room, almost bare except for a clutch of warm bodies, a group of overheated performers is enacting a fictitious voyage through a fantastical world. . . . "

  • FIRST-DEGREE BERNSTEIN: DOUG PECK REVAMPS CANDIDE'S SCORE FOR THE GOODMAN

    From Time Out Chicago, Sept. 22, 2010: "At an orchestra rehearsal last week for the Goodman Theatre’s revival of Candide, music director Doug Peck fields a question from a brass player about a seemingly empty measure in the overture. 'I didn’t have the heart to cut it, ’cause it’s Bernstein,' Peck says from his piano bench, a small collection of diet soda bottles at his feet. . . . "

Artists

(in order of appearance)

  • Doug PeckPiano/Conductor
  • Jesse IronsViolin (Concertmaster)
  • Heather PorterViolin/Viola
  • Michael CurryCello
  • Tony D'AmicoBass
  • Mark PintoClarinet, Flute, Piccolo
  • Steve JacksonClarinet, Eb Clarinet
  • Andrea BonsignoreEnglish Horn, Oboe, Obe d'Amore
  • Rod FerlandBass Clarinet
  • Ron HaroutunianBassoon
  • Rick HammettTrumpet/Flugelhorn
  • Walt BostianTrombone
  • Ken PopeFrench Horn
  • Joe DeMarcoPercussion

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