A naïve bright-eyed youth Candide is taught by his tutor, Dr. Pangloss, that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” This mantra of blind optimism is instantly tested when Candide sets off on a globe-trotting adventure in search of his beloved Cunegonde. Expelled from his home, Candide enters a chaotic world filled with war, executions, the Lisbon earthquake, the Spanish Inquisition, and pirates. Characters are repeatedly killed, swindled, or enslaved, only to miraculously reappear alive and increasingly cynical.
Seeing direct parallels between mid-century American McCarthyism and the philosophical absurdity Voltaire originally targeted, playwright Lillian Hellman approached Leonard Bernstein about adapting Voltaire’s novella into a play with incidental music. Bernstein agreed but pushed to expand it into a full “comic operetta.” The project grew into a massive collaboration involving primary lyricist Richard Wilbur, along with contributions from Dorothy Parker, John La Touche, and Stephen Sondheim.
When it opened on Broadway on December 1, 1956, it flopped commercially, closing after 73 performances due to a script criticized as overly heavy. However, a brilliant original cast recording kept the score alive. Decades of revisions—including a 1973 Harold Prince version and a 1988 operatic adaptation by Scottish Opera—graduated Candide into a staple of international opera houses. The LA Opera staging utilizes John Caird’s fast-moving version.
This November, the LA Opera brings Francesca Zambello’s acclaimed production to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for six performances running from November 21 through December 13, 2026.
Since its 1956 premiere, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide has happily defied categorization. Blending grand opera with Broadway theatricality, this masterpiece transforms Voltaire’s savage 1759 literary satire into a sparkling, fast-paced musical journey that is part opera, part Broadway musical and all-out comic romp that pairs Voltaire’s satire with Bernstein’s dazzlingly eclectic score that is a virtuosic tour de force pairing classical European traditions with American musical theater zest. The Overture is a fast, brassy orchestral favorite worldwide that previews the show’s main themes. “Glitter and Be Gay” is a difficult coloratura soprano showstopper where draped in diamonds, Cunégonde sings of her tragic plight punctuated by high notes and manic laughter. “I Am Easily Assimilated” is a hilarious, tango-infused number about survival and adaptation performed by the Old Lady. The emotional climax, where reunited after traveling the globe, the characters reject blind optimism to focus on practical, human reality in a soaring choral masterpiece “Make Our Garden Grow”.
The Los Angeles production features a high-profile cast bridging Broadway and the classical world. The stage and screen star Scott Bakula makes his LA Opera debut in the dual roles of Voltaire and Dr. Pangloss. The three-time Tony Award winner Patti LuPone returns to LA Opera as the worldly-wise Old Lady. The rising tenor and 2026 Stern Artist Award winner Duke Kim takes on the title role of Candide. The Broadway soprano of The Phantom of the Opera Meghan Picerno makes her company debut as Cunégonde.
Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados leads the LA Opera Orchestra and Chorus through the whirlwind theatrical spectacle. Running time is two hours and 30 minutes with one intermission.
For more information and tickets, please visit LAOpera.org.