Candide presented by Opera Project Columbus

OPC presents Bernstein’s Candide: a witty, wild operetta where optimism meets chaos in a whirlwind of love and misfortune.

Opera Project Columbus presents Leonard Bernstein’s delightfully irreverent Candide, inspired by Voltaire’s 1759 novella—a whirlwind romp where boundless optimism meets spectacular misfortune. Young Candide, blissfully devoted to his beloved Cunegonde, is schooled by Dr. Pangloss to believe that all is for the best in this “best of all possible worlds.” Naturally, chaos ensues. In rapid succession, Candide is exiled, conscripted, swindled, shipwrecked, and repeatedly separated from his love, all while clinging (heroically, if naively) to Pangloss’s philosophy. Featuring a sparkling, genre-blending score and razor-sharp wit, this operetta gleefully skewers blind optimism while celebrating resilience, romance, and the absurd adventure of it all. Buckle up—it’s going to be a bumpy, brilliant ride.