Candide NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (39)
See it if you want to hear a beautifully sung production of the great Bernstein score. If not the best of all possible Candides, still very satisfying
Don't see it if you are not a fan of Bernstein's music. I am.
See it if want an entertaining operetta (it's really more like a B'Way Show) with excellent signing and great performances. The score is a classic
Don't see it if Don't like operatic-type of singing
See it if This is a top-notch production. Cand is notoriously hard to get right. Hal P is still a genius at staging. Lots of good singers/actors.
Don't see it if you tire of broad humor. Or you want all voices to be stellar (Lavin's in not). Or you want big dance numbers. Lyrics are hard to hear. Read more
See it if you want to see a very good production of the Leonard Bernstein and Hugh Wheeler classic based on Voltaire. Great singing and music.
Don't see it if you are not willing to take a journey that is concerned with ideas rather than a simple plot.
See it if You love a big, classic, rarely-produced musical comedy with a phenomenal score, performed by a huge, top-notch cast and orchestra.
Don't see it if You don't like whimsical, epically tall tales or shows that are quasi-operettas. This show doesn't have the most logical of storylines.
See it if Harold Prince once again shows his extraordinary gift for creating a charming an outstanding piece!
Don't see it if If great Bernstein music and a relevant theme are not your thing.
See it if you want to see Bernstein's glorious music performed exceptionally. Armstrong's an endearing Candide. Picerno's Cunegonde is a revelation!
Don't see it if you can't follow a complicated (albeit hilarious) story. Otherwise, this is a magnificent production of this Bernstein favorite.
See it if you like operettas, you like simple plots, you like old-fashioned shows brought back to life
Don't see it if you don't enjoy operetta, or silly and old-school plots
Critic Reviews (16)
"This pepped-up production has much to recommend it as a serious comedic enterprise and a solid endgame of splendid entertainment…Prince’s instinct to have fun with it strikes gold; his bits of business, sight gags and cleverness play brilliantly from the libretto, aided by a talented cast of actors, singers and dancers…The remarkable cast is made up of opera singers who can seriously act, and Broadway actors who can seriously sing. As an aggregate, they glitter with gaiety and glee."
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"The lavish staging of ‘Candide’ by the estimable Harold Prince is, but for a few casting glitches, glorious…The overture sounds like an old friend, filling one with happy anticipation…The veteran director never once loses awareness of aesthetics on another large, somewhat complicated set…Excepting those of Edleman and Lavin, Prince handles flamboyant character turns with eyebrow raised finesse."
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"Such glorious music! Such a ridiculous, silly plot! Such a mixed bag of performances! Such clumsy gags and dated caricatures! The production has its ups and downs...It seemed like the company could have used a few more days of rehearsal...The real beauty of the evening was Meghan Picerno, clear of voice and crisp of diction, who managed the challenging 'Glitter and be Gay' with aplomb...Although it isn’t merited by the absurd and ignorable story, the finale actually brought a tear to my eye."
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"It’s not the unimpeachable masterpiece that Lenny’s West Side Story is–the book is famously problematic–but it is still enough of a joy that as long as you nail that sublime Bernstein score, it’ll be a grand night out. Nail it this company does, and the results are glorious...The sprightly, brilliant score is one of the best things Bernstein ever wrote...While the staging is showing some signs of age, Prince has refurbished many moments for an overall better flow...Recommended."
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"More a recreation than a rethinking...It has mainly been cast by Broadway performers...Meghan Picerno sings 'Glitter and Be Gay' brilliantly and is a charming Cunegonde. Broadway veteran Gregg Edelman is funny in all the comic roles without being too hammy...The rest of the cast is fine, the chorus superb, and the orchestral playing good...It's a lovely looking production, though every bit as empty headed as its title character. Still, the score is gorgeous and the company does it justice."
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"Despite vocally uneven results, the show radiates a high level of quality that recalls the now bygone Broadway of Prince’s past, before all the Disney and jukebox musicals moved in...Under the baton of Prince’s son, the conductor Charles Prince, the City Opera Orchestra interprets Leonard Bernstein’s score with richness, verve, and only a few missteps...The chorus soared to superb heights, particularly in finale."
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"Delivers lively, enveloping entertainment, great for a date night with its score showing Bernstein at his best in a circus-cum-vaudeville style production...The cast features operatic voices where needed and big Broadway personalities when not...It's like high-budget garage theater — this is a compliment — with actors donning a variety of wigs in plain sight in a broad acting style. Maybe too broad. The humanity of the characters is especially lost in the first half hour."
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"Friday’s opener of Bernstein’s 'Candide,' though wanting a little polish, was a superb entertainment, a light evening of shameless comedy and bubbling music, highlighted with several strong performances...Edelman led a cast of singers and actors drawn mostly from the New York theater circuit, a casting strategy that led to some mixed results...Prince manages to give a lavish feel while working on a budget, and does so by creating atmosphere more than pure spectacle."
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