Opera Warwick’s Candide – Review:

Candide is an operetta composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the 1759 novella of the same name by Voltaire. The story follows the eponymous Candide as he is subjected to a series of disasters in his life, including being expelled from Cunegonde’s home, being captured by the Holy Inquisition, and finding El Dorado. In the end, finally disillusioned, he realises that the world is neither good nor bad, but determined by what we make it.

A couple of weeks ago, Opera Warwick put on their own interpretation of the operetta, and I was lucky enough to attend their Thursday performance. As the audience took their seats, we were first treated to a truly impressive aerial silks performance from the Warwick Pole and Aerial Arts society, even before the main event began.

From the outset, it was clear that this was no amateur production. As soon as the orchestra began, the cast of Candide swept the audience into a dazzling world of disaster, danger, and absurdity. The occasional minor tech issue aside, the whole show ran smoothly, which can no doubt be credited to numerous hours of rehearsals.

Comedy does not always translate well through the ages, and tackling the operetta’s satire of the worst human impulses — war, rape, suicide, prejudice, and slavery — is always going to be a tonal minefield. To the credit of the operetta’s Directors and Producers, they managed to achieve this difficult balance overall, with Candide’s metatheatre setting of a circus big-top adding an extra layer of separation between the audience and what would otherwise be very heavy topics.

The cast of Candide was stacked with a truly incredible group of performers, ranging from freshers to PhD students, studying engineering to English literature. Candide was played by Matthew Osbiston, who nailed the mix of optimism, humour, and sincerity that the role requires. Alongside was the wonderfully talented Caitlin Palomaki, who played Cunegonde, Candide’s beloved, who undergoes her own series of terrible events over the course of the operetta. Her performance of the song ‘Glitter and Be Gay’ was undoubtedly one of the stand-out moments of the operetta. With them, Rosemary Wake (Voltaire), Nik Mikkelsen (Pangloss), Elsie Waddington (Old Lady), Johannes Bishop-Weston (Maximilian), Amy Atwell (Paquette), Gavriel Levy (Cacambo), and Dion Millet (Governor/Vanderdendur) all shined in their leading roles. The chorus, too, left nothing to be desired in their performance, coming together to create some stunning group numbers.

While Candide is not longer playing in the Warwick Arts Centre, I, for one, am incredibly excited to see what Opera Warwick produces next. While the summer show is still undecided as of yet, it will have a high bar to reach, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will do so.