Glenn Potter (l) and Michael Evans Lopez (r), rehearsing for LBO’s production of Candide. Photo by Sander Roscoe Wolff.
The public is invited to The Best of All Possible Opera Talks, taking place tomorrow, January 19 from 6:00 to 7:00PM, at the Expo Arts Center. Bob Bernard, the Long Beach Opera’s (LBO) host of educational salons, will present an interdisciplinary video-based examination of Candide. The talk is free.
LBO is presenting a new and innovative production of the classic Leonard Bernstein opera, Candide. The production opens this Saturday, January 23, at 8:00PM in the Center Theater, part of the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center at 300 East Ocean Boulevard in Downtown Long Beach. Additional performances will take place on Saturday, January 30, at 2:30PM and at 8:00PM.
Candide is based on the book by Voltaire, who was horrified by the man-made and natural disasters that swept through Europe at the time. The popular philosophy of optimism articulated by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz was rejected by Voltaire, and he used Candide as a vehicle to express his disillusionment.
The LBO production is being directed by David Schweizer, who brings a vast and diverse array of experiences to the work. He’s directed productions with the New York City Opera, Gotham Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, and the Chicago Opera Theater. He also directed past LBO productions, including Thomas Ades’ Power Her Face, Mychael Nymann’s The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat, and Vivaldi’s Montezuma.
The production also features puppets and masks created by the Los Angeles based Rogue Artists Ensemble, who are known for multi-disciplinary artistic collaborations that include music, dance, and theatrical illusions.
For tickets and additional information, please visit LongBeachOpera.org. The Expo Arts Center is located at 4321 Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls.
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