Music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, with additional lyrics by John Latouche, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim.
Principal cast includes: Lewis J. Stadlen (Voltaire/Dr. Pangloss/Governor), Mark Baker (Candide), Maureen Brennan (Cunegonde), June Gable (Old Lady), Sam Freed (Maximillian), and Deborah St. Darr (Paquette).
Remastered 2006.
Because of its wonderful score, Candide was a Broadway flop that refused to be consigned to the dustbin of history. While attempts to get it right continued for decades, the show had its greatest commercial success with Hal Prince's 1974 revival, where the original book by Lillian Hellman was replaced with Hugh Wheeler's more irreverent version, bringing the show's spirit closer to the Voltaire novel.
The cast album, available for the first time on CD, presents the show complete. Although better singing can be found in other versions (some featuring opera singers), this cast does a good job of keeping the proceedings lively and humorous, avoiding the ponderousness that has plagued other productions.
