By Elise C. Hanson-Barnett
The Utah Opera, sponsored by The Utah Symphony, staged a concert version of the comedic operetta Candide this past weekend in Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall. In 1956, quite down in the mouth about the Hollywood McCarthy “Witch Trials”, Lillian Hellman and Leonard Bernstein decided to adapt Voltaire’s meandering 1759 odyssey satirizing the Age of Enlightenment into a comedic picaresque. Bernstein’s operetta grabs on to the farcical elements in Voltaire’s story and elevates them into a light, frothy, and provocative romp that pokes silly fun at society while sticking a thumb in the pies of cultural appropriation, intellectual pugnacity, and classism. The story, which is less important than the notion, is about an overly-optimistic young man named Candide (Jonathan Johnson), whose lover Cunegonde (Amy Owens) is killed by invading soldiers, but not really. Indeed, anybody killed within the course of the plot does not stay dead for long. The star-crossed pair bumps into each other all over the world, traveling from Westphalia to Lisbon to Paris to Spain to Portugal to Brazil to El Dorado to Italy, meeting and killing off (but not really) kooky characters and confronting religious, political, philosophical, and societal themes. Indeed, there have been so many revisions and contributors to the book and music over the years that there is some mess to the script, but it is just my flavor of mess.
Candide was performed as part of a fundraiser for the Opera and Symphony, and only appeared for two nights in Salt Lake City, but what an enormous treat it was to be there. The deconstructionist style of the operetta lends itself perfectly to the concert format, with actors interacting with Maestro Thierry Fischer to great comedic effect. In one scene, Candide borrows the baton from the conductor to use as a sword in a fight scene. It serves as a quite effective weapon in dispatching (but not really) his foe.
Another favorite element was the choir, led by chorus master Michaella Calzaretta. So engaged and enthusiastic is their performance that they might as well be extras in a Cecil B. DeMille picture. The choir was choreographed to represent waves in the sea, the gold of El Dorado, the crowd in a public hanging, and a myriad other configurations. They do not enter with the grave demureness of a typical choir, but spill in like a merry band of jesters ready to entertain and amuse with every bit of blocking assigned them.
The most well-known piece from the operetta is the coloratura aria “Glitter and be Gay,” and Lewis is well-up to the task of executing the challenging and buoyant showpiece. The soprano received a much-deserved lengthy applause after her performance, and it is without a doubt the highlight of the evening.
Other performances of note were Tobin Atkinson as the wry and witty narrator who guides the audience through the riotous events with pinpoint sarcasm and dry, sardonic delivery, and Victoria Livengood as Old Lady, a put-upon woman of the world who nudges Cunegonde and Candide through their foibles with risible wisdom. Both actors serve as oracle characters, offering a candid and realistic view of the nature of the world with perfectly performed comedy.
Though this performance has passed, there are other opportunities to attend the Utah Symphony and its marriage with the Utah Opera. It makes for a delightful, magical, and romantic evening whether you bring a date or choose to be romantic to yourself, which is just as important if you ask this reviewer.
The Utah Symphony and The Utah Opera present Candide, Music by Leonard Bernstein, Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, John Latouche, Dorothy Parker, Lillian Hellman, Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Book by Lillian Hellman and Hugh Wheeler, based on Candide by Voltaire
Abravenal Hall 23 W S Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
November 9th and 10th
Tickets: $15-$68
Contact: 801-533-NOTE (801-533-6683)
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