A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewCandide
|
"Optimism . . . is the obstinacy of maintaining that everything is best when it is worst."
— Cacambo
|
Fra Fee as Candide and Scarlett Strallen as Cunegonde
(Photo: Nobby Clark) |
In a set like a medieval courtyard, the playing boards distressed with blue paint, the front row of the audience are practically in the show, in a reconfigured space with playing areas on a balcony and the orchestra in one corner. Voltaire's novel ranges across an imperfect world starting in Westphalia where the philosopher Dr Pangloss (James Dreyfus) schools Candide alongside the children of the Baron and Baroness, Cunegonde (Scarlett Strallen) and her brother Maximillian (David Thaxton) and the sexually adventurous maid Paquette (Cassidy Janson).
With the first act set in Europe, the second act explores South America before returning to Venice for the finale. Voltaire's novel is fairly shambolic with all kinds of returning from the dead in unexpected places but it also illustrates the vicissitudes that life throws at Candide and his companions.
Fra Fee from Northern Ireland, as Candide sings heavenly and has that wide eyed innocence, we like our heroes to possess, under a curly mop of unruly dark hair. The upper class love of his life, Cunegonde lives through the fate of a pretty girl with no money and no protector, other than the single buttocked Old Lady (Jackie Clune). Michael Cahill and Ben Lewis play Cunegonde's many ravishers. In Cadiz, Candide meets up with Cacambo (James Dreyfus) who becomes his guide and loyal servant. Dreyfus is in his element and gets to play three significant characters, Pangloss, Cacambo and Martin, with verve and humour.
Adam Cooper contributes the dance and ballet sequences, the memorable Auto da Fe ballet and the dance introduction to South America. The lyrics have gems of wit and so they should be with lyricists like Sondheim, Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman on board. I particularly liked the rhyming of ermine with vermin and found Bernstein's tunes are sung well by a talented and very hard working cast.
Paul Farnsworth's designs are always witty with many of the costumes showing realistic signs of wear and the rope that hangs Pangloss becomes the hanging of the chandelier. The red sheep carrying the gold bars from Eldorado are fun and imaginative. I liked too the depth in Scarlett Strallen's Cunegonde who doesn't survive without showing the trauma she has endured but Fra Fee's Candide seems to float along on the confidence cloud of the belief Dr. Pangloss inspired. Surely this is an early example of the power of visualisation?
This is approaching the best of all possible musical worlds!
For Elyse Sommer's review of the musical in New York with full songlist and more details go here.
|
Subscribe to our FREE email updates with a note from editor Elyse Sommer about additions to the website -- with main page hot links to the latest features posted at our numerous locations. To subscribe,
E-mail: esommer@curtainup.comesommer@curtainup.com
put SUBSCRIBE CURTAINUP EMAIL UPDATE in the subject line and your full name and email address in the body of the message -- if you can spare a minute, tell us how you came to CurtainUp and from what part of the country. |
| Candide
Music by Leonard Bernstein Book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler Lyrics by Richard Wilbur Additional Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein Directed by Matthew White Starring: James Dreyfus, Fra Fee, Scarlett Strallen With: Cassidy Janson, David Thaxton, Helen Walsh, Michael Cahill, Ben Lewis, Frankie Jenna, Jeremy Batt, Jackie Clune, Carly Anderson, Christopher Jaconsen, Matt Wilman, Rachel Spurrell Set and Costume Design: Paul Farnsworth Choreography by Adam Cooper Musical Supervision: David Charles Abell Orchestrations: Jason Carr Sound: Gareth Owen Lighting: Paul Anderson Musical Director: Seann Alderking Running time: Two hours 40 minutes including one interval Box Office: 020 7378 1713 Booking to 22 February 2014 Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge based on 5th December performance at The Menier Chocolate Factory, 53 Southwark Street, London SE1 1RU (Rail/Tube: London Bridge) |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email . . . also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. |
