Skylight Music Theatre presents: CANDIDE

The cast of Skylight Music Theatre's CANDIDE, through October 29th at the Cabot Theatre in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward. Photo by Mark Frohna.

By Mary Boyle

Skylight Music Theatre has always had a knack for producing classic musicals: not yet what we think of when we think of a Broadway musical, but not the opera, either - the ones that are somewhere in between.  In 2017, they did an amazing job with Beauty & the Beast, thanks to Director James Ortiz's brilliant vision and puppetry.  This went so well, Ortiz was scheduled to return for another classic production, but it was delayed by the pandemic.  Thankfully, Skylight and Ortiz stuck with it, so Milwaukee audiences can experience the gem of a classic musical that is CANDIDE.

Based on a novella of the same name written in 1759 by the French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian known as Voltaire, Candide was made famous as a musical in 1956 by the great American composer Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story, On the Town, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue).  With book by Hugh Wheeler and Lyrics by Richard Wilbur, as well as some by the iconic composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (West Side Story, Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd), the pedigree of the musical, alone, is enough to draw a crowd and, though it doesn't quite fit with our modern sensibilities, its cultural significance is undeniable.

Candide (Sam Simahk) is truly a lucky bastard.  Taken in by a wealthy family, he is raised alongside their adored son and daughter, Maximillian (Doug Clemons) and Cunegonde (Susie Robinson), receiving lessons all together from their tutor, Pangloss (Andrew Varela), a great believer in the philosophy of optimism.  When their beautiful maid, Paquette (Samantha Sostarich), has an affair with Pangloss, Cunegonde sets her eye on Candide, only to find that her parents weren't such believers in equality, after all.  Candide is thrown out of the home for reaching too high, and thus begins the crazy and perilous journey of these two lovers, and the people they meet along the way, such as the Old Woman (Sara Stem), Cacambo (Shawn Holmes), Martin (Ben George) and Vanderdender (Nathan Marinan).

Ortiz decided to set the play in the time of Berstein and Sondheim, and the Leave it to Beaver vibes work brilliantly with the early optimism of the story, where everything seems light and silly.  What's interesting about the play is it veers suddenly from sillliness to horror and tragedy and back again; one moment you're laughing, and the very next you're wondering if the musical is actually supposed to be funny at all.

​Describing the play, Ortiz explained that Candide is “about the quest we all continually go on to become the best version of ourselves. The only way to do that demands that you peel back the layers of what you've been taught in order to form your own unique identity. We get to watch these characters of every age be forced to ‘grow up’ in sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes hilarious ways.”

Quite often with classic musicals, you will recognize a song or two from them, even when you've never seen them before, but that was not the case with this musical; I think, because they still retain an operatic quality that renders them not as catchy and singable.  Nonetheless, the music is both clever and lovely, with layers of song intertwining to create something magical.  Robinson's voice as Cunegonde, in particular, is truly impressive, but the cast all together is greater than the sum of their parts.

One of the highlights of this production is definitely the puppets — something Ortiz has become well known for beyond Skylight; he created the puppet design for the 2022 Broadway revival of Into the Woods, as well as earning the 2022 Drama Desk Award for his puppet design for Lincoln Center’s The Skin of Our Teeth.  Much like in Beauty & the Beast, Ortiz's puppets make characters larger than they could possibly be than by being performed by actors, alone.  Make no mistake that the addition of puppets makes this musical family-friendly; this is absolutely a production for mature audiences, as it features very mature themes.  After all, Voltaire was a great philosopher of his time; this is a play that will make you think.

CANDIDE runs through October 29th at the beautiful Cabot Theatre, located in the Broadway Theatre Center at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee's historic Third Ward. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.skylightmusictheatre.org/, email [email protected] or call the Box Office at (414) 291-7800.

Special Events
Skylight Insights. In-depth discussions with Artistic Director, Michael Unger and special guests take place one hour before all Wednesday and Sunday performances.
ASL Performance. Candide will be interpreted in American Sign Language on Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. To purchase tickets for this performance, email [email protected] or call Skylight Music Theatre's Box Office at (414) 291-7800. Mention ASL performance for seating in the appropriate section. Supported by UPAF Connect.

About Skylight Music Theatre
Founded in 1959, Skylight is Milwaukee’s professional Equity music theatre company and the state's largest employer of Wisconsin actors. Skylight produces the full range of music theatre from blockbuster Broadway musicals to reimagined operas, and from exciting world premieres to contemporary off-Broadway hits. Skylight’s mainstage home is the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, which was built by Skylight in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward in 1992. Considered to be one of Milwaukee’s most beautiful theatres, the Cabot Theatre is based on the design of an 18th-century French opera house. With just 350 seats it offers audiences great views of the action onstage and an undeniable connection with the performers. Skylight Music Theatre marks its 64th season in 2023-2024. Skylight Music Theatre is a proud Cornerstone Member of the United Performing Arts Fund.