Opera in the Ozarks Presents: Candide

Description

Candide, Leonard Bernstein’s satirical operetta based on Voltaire’s novella, follows the naive Candide as he endures a whirlwind of disasters—war, earthquake, shipwreck, slavery—while clinging to his tutor Dr. Pangloss’s lesson that this is “the best of all possible worlds”. He travels the globe searching for his love, Cunegonde, facing absurdity and cruelty.  He eventually learns from his harrowing experiences (and meeting a wise old farmer) that true contentment comes from simple, practical work, famously summarized as “we must cultivate our garden”.