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CANDIDE
by Leonard Bernstein
Based on Voltaire’s satirical masterpiece
and set to Leonard Bernstein’s glorious music, Candide
tells the story of a young man, Candide, who is determined
to follow his instructor's creed of mindless optimism. Even
after being banished from his homeland, captured by Bulgarians,
beaten by the Spanish Inquisition, robbed of everything he
owns, and torn repeatedly from the woman he loves, Candide
still clings to the philosophy that everything is for the
best in this, "the best of all possible worlds." He
and his friends eventually find themselves seeking guidance
from the Wisest Man in the World – a ghost from their past
who has a surprising revelation for them!
The play begins in Westphalia, where we meet the characters:
the Baron and Baroness, Cunegonde – their beautiful
virgin daughter, Maximilian – their handsome son, Candide
– their handsome bastard nephew, and Paquette – the
Baroness' buxom serving maid. Their tutor, Dr. Pangloss,
preaches the philosophy that all is for the best in "The
Best of All Possible Worlds." Inspired by Pangloss’ private “lessons” to
Paquette, Candide declares his love for Cunegonde. Discovered
by the family, Candide, a social inferior, is expelled from
Westpahlia and wanders alone — with only his optimism
to cling to.
Discovered at dawn asleep in a field, Candide is press-ganged
into the Bulgar Army. He tries to desert, but is recaptured
and is made to run the gauntlet. He is just able to walk
again when the Bulgars declare war on Westphalia where everyone
is massacred.
Time passes. Alone in the world and starving, Candide gives
the few coins he has to an old man with a tin nose, worse
off than himself: syphilis has rotted away several of his
fingers. Candide discovers that it is Pangloss brought back
to life. He philosophizes that this is still the best of
all possible worlds, however, for syphilis is a product of
the New World. Both men are arrested for heresy and dragged
off to Lisbon where Pangloss is sentenced by the Inquisitor
and hanged. Candide escapes with a whipping. After his beating,
a kind old lady rescues him and restores him to health. After
he has recovered, the Old Lady sneaks him into Cunegonde's
apartment. Candide is thrilled to find his former lover alive,
but the reunion is cut short by the arrival of her lovers:
a Jew and a Cardinal. Candide inadvertently stabs both the
men — to death.
With the French police in pursuit for the murders in Paris,
Candide accepts a commission to fight for the Jesuits in
South America, with a free passage for Cunegonde and the
Old Lady. So they take ship for the New World, but the vessel
is attacked by pirates and the women are carried off for
another round of ravishment. When Candide arrives in the
New World, he finds both Paquette and Maximilian alive and
sold into slavery. Candide brings them up-to-date on what
has happened and swears that he will rescue Cunegonde once
more and marry her. Maximilian, however, is still furious
at the suggestion that his sister should marry Candide. As
luck would have it, Candide accidentally kills Maximilian.
That night, Candide and Paquette escape into the jungle of
South America and discover the jewel-filled city of El Dorado.
After loading two sheep with gold and jewels, Candide and
Paquette return to Cartagena only to learn that the pirates
have taken Cunegonde to Constantinople. The Governor offers
Candide a boat to pursue the pirates, which he readily accepts!
Still, Candide, Paquette and the Old Lady, who has rejoined
them after being rejected by the pirates, finally make their
way to Constantinople where they buy Cunegonde's freedom
with the gold they have recovered. They use the last of their
remaining fortune to buy the freedom of Maximilian who has
somehow wound up in the same household after being miraculously
brought back to life!
Now, reunited but without a penny to their name, they are
all unsure what to do next, so they decide to visit the Wisest
Man in the World. There they find Dr. Pangloss, miraculously
alive and having abandoned his old "best of all possible
worlds" philosophy, spouting a new one: the work ethic.
Candide, still quite committed to Pangloss, decides to follow
this new creed, buy a little farm, grow a garden, and milk
the cow which they have managed to acquire. Even as everyone
agrees that this is, of course, a splendid decision, the
cow falls dead with the pox. |
