Leonard Bernstein had the knack for creating monster hit musicals like “West Side Story” and “On the Town.” These works, polished by time and entered into the Western canon of theater, have no trouble drawing an audience to any venue in any market. Then there is Bernstein’s “Candide,” a less popular and more troublesome piece that is less commonly performed. However, having keen insight into both opera and musical theater, with “Candide” straddling the space between, director Andy Abrams and the Four Seasons Theatre Company have ventured to exhibit the show’s brilliant score and great whimsy when it opens this weekend.
“Candide” is based off a work of the same name written by the great French satirist Voltaire. The original score was written by Leonard Bernstein in 1956 with the script adapted by Lillian Hellman. Later, Hellman’s script would be discarded and the show would be remade several times throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Four Seasons Theatre Company will be presenting the 1982 Opera House Version that includes Bernstein’s expanded score complemented with libretto by Hugh Wheeler.
The show follows the exploits of the strapping young Candide and his love interest, the beautiful and vivacious Cunegonde. Cunegonde is the Baron’s daughter, and Candide is her bastard cousin. Their love is, of course, forbidden and once discovered, Candide is banished from Westphalia by the Baron. A series of misadventures sees the pair split apart, sold into sexual slavery, nearly killed on several occasions and travel across Europe, all with the biting satire expected of Voltaire.
With many versions, a confusing plot and a massive scale of operation, this play proves a daunting task for any company. But director Abrams was drawn to the play’s inventive and beautiful score — parts of it are very well known including the aria “Glitter and be Gay.” He hopes to infuse the production with his expertise in both opera and musical theater performance.
“I didn’t know the show until I did it in college. … Ever since, this show has always been on the top of my list as one of the most stunning scores ever written. People argue whether it’s an opera or a musical. It’s got some very operatic moments in it. In our lead we have a full on opera singer in Cudegonde (Caitlin Cisler, Masters student of Opera Performance at UW-Madison). … It goes back and forth between opera and musical theater, and for me as someone who goes back and forth between opera and musical theater, it’s like the most perfect score ever,” Abrams said.
“I also conduct the Madison Opera chorus, so I brought over a bunch of people from the Madison Opera chorus. I also talked to people from the Isthmus Vocal Ensemble. We wanted the best chorus we could find. Mixed with the people who auditioned for us, which included all the UW students, we came up with this amazing 45-person chorus,” he continued.
On top of the 45-person chorus, the show will include a 30-piece orchestra onstage as part of the production.
When asked about the problems the show can pose, as well as the economic viability of doing a less popular play during the financial crisis, Abrams admitted the show is a bit of a gamble.
“It’s not well known and we’ve seen a drop in our ticket sales, but we’ve been working really hard to get the word out because it’s such a great show. Our tickets are so much cheaper than what you’d pay at the Overture Center, so we feel we offer that alternative. But we’ve definitely felt a pinch during this show,” he said.
Ultimately, Abrams reaffirmed that that the aesthetic payoffs are worth the risk.
“We’ve taken the comedy very far,” he said. “The music is just so great. The performances and the singers are top notch. If you like opera or you like musical theater, you’ll find a way to love it. There’s something in there for everyone. I’ve even actually hired a cartoonist to do cartoon backdrops that we’ll use as slides behind [the actors] to show the different locations of the play and to add to the silliness.”
Although it may not be Bernstein’s most well-known effort, with such devotion to the material and Four Seasons ever-solid community productions, “Candide” will surely be worth an evening’s entertainment.
Shows are Friday, Feb. 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb, 8, at 2 p.m., with a lecture on “Candide” and Bernstein by maestro John DeMain at 1p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, in Grand Hall at Capitol Lakes 333 W. Main Street, Madison.
Tickets are $15, $20, $25, $2 off with student ID. Tickets can be purchased through the Union Box Office 608-262-2201.
