What the critics are saying about CANDIDE

 

"What the show has going for it is Leonard Bernstein's music.  Eclectic as Bernstein was, his work has a thumbprint that grows more distinct as time passes.  Everything about the melodies and rhythms of songs like 'The Best of All Possible Worlds,' 'Glitter and Be Gay,' 'Auto da Fé' and 'Make Our Garden Grow' tells you that they're Bernstein's; if you knew his music but hadn't heard these pieces before, you would guess their authorship in a matter of seconds.  And George Manahan led a suitably ebullient account of the overture, now an orchestra staple, and had the City Opera orchestra sounding fine all night.  Daniel Reichard, as Candide, displayed a light, attractive tenor and sufficient agility to negotiate the production's ample stage business.  Agility was a quality all the singers shared.  Lauren Worsham, a petite Cunegonde, sang with a tightly wound, fast vibrato and had the high notes needed for 'Glitter and Be Gay.'  Richard Kind was amusing and there were strong contributions from Judith Blazer as the Old Lady and Jessica Wright as Paquette."

-Kozinn, New York Times

 

"We're lucky to have this buoyant piece of musical theater -- particularly in the current City Opera offering.  Richard Kind plays a narrating Voltaire and numerous secondary roles with the panache of a latter-day vaudevillian.  Solid and consistently amusing supporting performances come from Kyle Pfortmiller (gorgeously vain as Maximilian), Jessica Wright (in the show's vamp role), as well as the multiply-cast Robert Ousley and Sandy Rosenberg."

- Propst, Back Stage

 

"Leonard Bernstein's compositions are exquisite, capturing in a wide range of styles the color, the romance, and the absurdity of Voltaire's unpredictable travelogue.  If any comic operetta needs comics, it's Candide.  And this time around, City Opera has them in Richard Kind and Daniel Reichard.  Kind's bottomless bag of personalities may have been cut in the Catskills, but nonetheless invariably surprises; this is the first time I've ever looked forward to Pangloss's restless reincarnations.  Reichard's ultra-modern ironic outlook and boyish charm fuse intelligence and innocence into Candide -- setting up the globe-spanning picaresque more effectively than most manage.  They are ably joined by Lauren Worsham, dizzily attractive and bestowing fierce force of will on the frantic funny bone of her satirical coloratura showpiece, 'Glitter and Be Gay.'"

--Murray, TalkinBroadway.com

 

"Harold Prince's staging is ingenious -- and always fun to watch.  Leonard Bernstein's gorgeous score, beautifully conducted by the versatile George Manahan, takes operetta pastiche sailing into a stratosphere of operetta reality.  Candide is one of Bernstein's most enduring, and most endearing, works."

--Barnes, New York Post

 

"An exceptionally strong cast is bringing Candide to life like never before.  Daniel Reichard, who played Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, convincingly portrays Candide's fragility, youth and heart.  Playing opposite him is Richard Kind, who brings broad comic appeal to the narrator, and Lauren Worsham, who plays Cunegonde as a surprisingly street-smart gal in addition to excelling vocally."

--Windman, AM New York

Candide runs now through April 20 only. Tickets start at just $16. To order your seats, please click HERE.