CANDIDE (ZIMMERMAN VERSION) at HUNTINGTON THEATRE COMPANY

Candide chronicles, in lightning-fast progression, the story of a young man banished from his home, drafted into the Bulgarian army and forced to endure relentless disaster. Voltaire's satiric genius is found in Candide's earnest attempts to trivialize the tragedy and uphold the contention of his mentor, Dr. Pangloss, that all things happen for the best in this ‘best of all possible worlds'. Although Candide's journey is described with humor, Voltaire raises serious questions: How can mankind deal with disaster without surrendering to despair? Can optimism prevail in a world that frequently seems randomly cruel? How is survival itself possible in an environment that often gleefully refutes Pangloss's hopeful axiom?Few modern musicals have enjoyed the extensive exploration and reexamination that Candide has in the years following its 1956 Broadway debut. Mary Zimmerman, "a specialist in literary spectacle (from whom) theatrical fireworks are expected" (The New York Times), has opted to create a new book for this production by returning afresh to Voltaire's original 1759 Candide, Or Optimism. She has ordered the sequence of events in Candide's adventure-many of which had been altered for previous productions-to align more closely with the novella's original structure.