Everyone’s talking about 'Maestro' and the story of Leonard Bernstein (the famed composer of 'West Side Story'), including the Victorian Opera it seems.
Under the new Artistic Direction of Stuart Maunder AM, the company presented 'Candide', their first opera of the season. Starring the Tony-nominated Eddie Perfect hot off the heels of a brilliant performance in Dolly Parton’s '9 To 5' musical and Lyndon Watts, this was a riotous romp from start to finish.
Fully staged by Director Dean Bryant with gorgeous baroque-style inspired costuming by Dann Barber and Lighting Designer Matt Scott, the scene set was a post-apocalyptic world in the wake of a major climate disaster. Although the score was written in 1956 by Leonard Bernstein, the story belongs to Voltaire with Bryant’s version presenting a topsy-turvy world of extremes. The story is based on Voltaire’s 1759 novella and Bernstein premiered the Broadway operetta in 1956. It’s no wonder it has gone on to have a cult classic status as it throws what we expect opera to be on its head.
The story follows the naive young Candide who falls in love with the beautiful Cunégonde embarking on a lifetime of adventure and travel. Candide and his misfit band of friends journey through some of the most spectacular parts of the world as they are ticked off and added with signposting to the caravan. There’s a plethora of crazy characters who are vicious, greedy, lustful and manipulative. The story is filled with everything from love, to laughter, to catastrophe.
Image © Charlie Kinross Photography
Reimagined for the modern era with the story set in a post-apocalyptic setting in the wake of a major climate disaster, I loved how staging included open laptops and mobile phones at one point. In one hilarious moment, a production assistant walked on stage and, using a hose, openly blew smoke onto the stage for dramatic effect. The comedy was taken to the edge and then some more, and the audience loved it, with bawdy double entendre and physical action. I felt transported to the 1800s and what it must have been like to be in the opera houses of Italy, where the audience threw food on the stage if they hated the show, or screamed applause if the opposite.
Starring Eddie Perfect as the Voltaire / Pangloss, and Lyndon Watts, the award-winning breakout star of 'Hamilton' as the titular character Candide, the overall production felt joyous and without boundary.
Image © Charlie Kinross Photography
A stand-out performance was delivered by Soprano Katherine Allen who played Cunégonde. I particularly loved how the Australian accent was not toned down in either singing or line delivery, and this at times gave the production an almost 'Kath & Kim' meets 'Madame Butterfly' vibe. The staging felt almost Baz Luhrmann-esque with a '60s Australian apocalyptic caravan wheeled on stage with various effects to create stages, runways, and vehicles. There was also the use of wheelchairs, and office stools and in one brilliant moment, shopping trolleys were reimagined into sheep with gold fringing!
I laughed, the people around me laughed, everyone laughed, except for one couple who I overheard as I walked out of the stalls “well they won’t be doing that for another 15 years”. I, for one, really hope they don’t wait that long to present another in the same vein. That made me laugh even more.
For anyone who loves a good romp, this is the show to see. If you want to introduce your loved one or the first timer to opera – this is the show to see. A five star, must-see, fun, modern operetta. What could be better!
★★★★★
