Candide is a curious piece of theatre. Composed by Leonard Bernstein and first performed in 1956, the music and script feel as though they are very much apart of a bygone era, as the production tracks Candide’s travels around the world as he faces a number of obstacles in his attempts to marry and save Cunegonde. Yet, as part of their 2025 season, Opera Australia has chosen to revive the production, taking the Victorian Opera’s direction and staging from their 2024 production to the Joan Sutherland Theatre, with musical theatre star Lyndon Watts in the titular role alongside Eddie Perfect as the narrator of the show. 

Opera Australia has increasingly moved towards daring productions, with bold sets and artistic choices in the past year (The Magic Flute springs to mind) and this production was no exception. Dann Barber’s set was incredibly flamboyant, with a rotating caravan being the focal point for the majority of the production. The Opera Australia orchestra was in fine form all night, performing Bernstein’s score with flourish and flair. 

The performers were also daring in their interpretations, with Watts the star with a flamboyant and persuasive performance. His voice was lyrical and he soared in the upper register. Perfect was also strong in his role, doing a great job of moving the story along, even if his voice didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the cast at times. 

Annie Aitken had arguably the most famous song in the production, “Glitter and Be Gay” and delivered it with fabulous conviction, managing all the technical challenges in the song, especially in her upper register, with ease. It was an incredible performance, especially given the difficulty of the song and was worth the price of admission alone. 

Ultimately, the challenge of this work lies in the fact that, notwithstanding Bernstein’s glittering resume, this is not one of his finest works. The motifs become laboured and the music lacks the bite and emotion to truly engender meaningful audience connection and reaction. Given this, the decision to make the production feel larger than life, with a modernised, flamboyant staging was certainly the right one but, in saying that, there was only so much that the performers could do to create intrigue in some of the more repetitive moments. On the whole, they did a fine job and the performance remained entertaining throughout but there was perhaps a sense that a bit of substance in the work itself was missing at times. 

There is perhaps a hint of irony in Opera Australia’s selection of Candide as a headlining production in their 2025 season in that it encapsulates the reported divide in the company’s future artistic direction between operas and musicals almost perfectly. It is not quite a musical nor is it a full-blown opera but it combines elements of the two for a production that is undoubtedly entertaining but, due to the source material, is possibly lacking the cohesion of some of the company’s more acclaimed productions (both in the opera and musical theatre spaces). 

While it is unclear whether the company will move further into the theatre world or stay within opera in the future, there is no doubt that there has been an artistic push towards daring productions of classic works and this production is no exception. While this musical does not provide the best source material for the performers on stage, the talent of the cast in this production meant that the performance was still highly entertaining and enjoyable. An enthralling and daring watch, well recommended for opera lovers and theatre goers alike!

 Rating: ★★★★

Candide plays at the Joan Sutherland Theatre until 14^th March, 2025. For more information, click here.

All photo credits: Carlita Sari