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Fiona Maddocks's rating
, Candide is lost in translation
By
Fiona Maddocks
26 Jun 2008
Everyone was there: Blair, Bush, Putin, Chirac and Berlusconi in their swimming trunks, slithering like fat seals on a gross oil slick; Marilyn Monroe in Some Like It Hot pink, JF Kennedy smiling for the cameras with death around the corner; Mormons, Texan cowboys, the White House family. ENO's shiny new staging of Candide, Bernstein's 1956 operetta, has transformed this musical version of Voltaire's novella into a satire about post-war America.
Subtle it is not. Faithful to the original? Not that either. Loud, brash, heavy-handed and leaving little to the imagination? Now we're getting there. Robert Carsen's production, a wholesale makeover of the original book, has already been seen and acclaimed in Paris and Milan. Perhaps much was lost in translation.
He has come up with a 'concept.' If you don't like it, you won't like it. It's fair to report that the enthusiastic first-night audience chortled on cue: at Westphalia becoming Westfailure, at two gay waiters being two gay waiters, at buttocks, at a lame man falling over, at an old-fashioned one-liner against women.
The stage is a vast television set. It's the gadget-mad Fifties. We're tuned to Volt-Air TV with the French Enlightenment philosopher himself as the channel-flicking narrator - played superbly by Alex Jennings who, doubling as the perfectly flossed optimist Pangloss and the old tramp-pessimist Martin, stole the show. Underneath all this labour, the brilliant, brittle invention which is Bernstein's original was screaming to be set free. Despite its witty music and sharp lyrics, this work is an uneasy exploration of destiny, free will and loss of faith. Voltaire, writing after the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, asked the only vital question: how can catastrophes occur if God has truly created 'the best of all possible worlds?' Carsen instead confines himself to the more parochial matter of how America has become such a grisly place.
Was it a good show? Yes, in Michael Levine's stunning designs and Rob Ashford's choreography. Yes, in the set-piece choruses. Yes, in the cast, led by a winsome Toby Spence in the title role and Anna Christy as Cunegonde. Rumon Gamba conducted, with moments of crackle and fire but some sluggish pacing. The impact of using a large orchestra rather than a small pit band was hardly felt, until the grand, closing number.
But Voltaire speaks the truth at the end: nothing in life is all good or bad. 'Joy and woe are woven fine' and we should instead cultivate our gardens. That indeed is what I'd have been happier doing last night but the cheers all around told another story.
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Reader views (3)
Carsen is an inept director desperately in search of a concept. Having suffered his emotionally bankrupt production of 'Poppea' at Glyndebourne earlier this year, Candide has the same flaws.
What a missed opportunity placing this wonderful piece in his hands. Carsen wonders why he works here rarely, well the answer is in these two failed productions - he doesn't know what he is doing and it's no secret to the audience.
- Trisha Clarke, London, UK, 02/07/2008 08:29
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I saw and loved the London production in 1959 and that was truer to the original story. While I agree with some of Ms. Maddocks's criticism, her 'yes's' makes it more than worthwhile seeing the show. The orchestra did full justice to Bernstein's music. I missed Cungonde's gluttony scene from the London production, we had to make do with the jewellery fest. I'm puzzled by Ms. Maddocks's point about the size of the orchestra. After all Bernstein made recordings with the LSO and New York Philharmonic inter alia. The current craze to perform in modern dress and make everything contemporary can be off-putting and being anti American and anti West is very fashionable these days and does elicit any easy laugh. However 'we should cultivate or own garden' could be a useful euphemism for the 'market economy'. Look after ourselves and forget everybody else. See the show and have a very enjoyable evening.
- Harvey Monte, Southend, UK, 27/06/2008 12:06
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I hated it until the very end, which I found very moving. I adore the music and the wit of this musical and thought it was the best thing I had ever seen, when I saw the Jonathan Miller production at the Old Vic several years ago. How I long for that now. Not quite so equally the National Theatre production, but that was still excellent.
Why change what is a superb piece? Why have horrible American accents. Yes, there are some clever skits and some witty moments, but this was not Candide as Voltaire would have recognised it - nor Leonard Bernstein I suspect, having seen him conduct it.
This not to take away from brilliant performances by the exceptional Alex Jennings and Toby Spence, but the old woman was just shrill. Oh for the refinement but utter joy of Patricia Routledge at the Old Vic.
I need to revisit the original recordings otherwise this has ruined Candide for me for ever.
- Jennifer Taylor, Surrey, 26/06/2008 21:33
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