I first saw this marvellous Welsh National Opera production of Bernstein’s gloriously messy masterpiece in Cardiff in 2023, and I gave it five stars. I was therefore a little anxious that it might not live up to my memories the second time around — especially at Bristol’s Hippodrome, where there is no orchestra pit. I need not have worried. I would give the performance I saw six stars if I could. All the visual brilliance remains, and if anything, the performances are even stronger. The satirical attacks on arrogance and corruption that Bernstein makes through the opera’s story feel even more relevant today than they did two years ago.
Candide grows up in the household of his father, the Baron, with his half-siblings Cunegonde and Maximilian, under the comically optimistic tutelage of Dr Pangloss. Candide’s love for Cunegonde leads to family exile, and when war breaks out it sets off a whirlwind of journeys, disasters, and reunions as the lovers — with Maximilian and Pangloss — encounter greed, hypocrisy, and bigotry across Voltaire’s eighteenth-century world. An auto-da-fé in Lisbon, a brothel in Paris, a voyage to Montevideo, a Jesuit mission in the jungle, some magical sheep, and a nightclub in Constantinople all appear in the gloriously illogical tale, which ends with Pangloss turning to the audience: “Any questions?”
Ed Lyon reprises his role as Candide, taking his “infuriating innocence” to a new level, his tenor as lustrous as ever. Soraya Mafi is a sparkling Cunegonde: her brilliant soprano dazzles, and her big number — a parody of the Merry Widow’s drinking song — fizzes with wit and vocal fireworks. In the contrasting roles of Pangloss and the Old Woman, we have two outstanding performers: Rakie Ayola and Amy J Payne. Ayola, with her impressive theatre and television pedigree, is superb whether guiding the young ones through catastrophe after catastrophe or engaging directly with the audience. Payne is a comic mezzo any director would envy — her rich tone and impeccable timing find humour in the unlikeliest moments. Among the many smaller roles, most taken by WNO chorus members, there isn’t a weak link.
I wondered whether the visual magic I enjoyed in Cardiff could really travel — but it can. The animations projected onto the screen of hanging bands are mesmerising, from the overture’s opening moments to the three-person horseback escape and the volcanic eruption in Act II. The precision with which the performers position themselves so that stage and projection blend seamlessly is breathtaking. It must demand punishing rehearsal, yet looks effortless in performance. Director James Bonas and animator Grégoire Pont deserve enormous credit. Under Ryan McAdams’s baton, the WNO orchestra is thrilling, moving with ease between opera, musical theatre, and cabaret as Bernstein’s score demands.
The Bristol Hippodrome was almost full, and the ovation at the curtain was huge. For WNO to take on this notoriously “hot mess” of a work — Bernstein’s own words — and make such a success of it shows that, despite the financial pressures facing opera companies, creativity and musicianship can still produce minor miracles. A great evening of music and drama.
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Libretto: Hugh Wheeler and others – after Voltaire
Conductor: Ryan McAdams
Director: James Bonas
Video and Animations: Gregoire Pont
Performers incl: Ed Lyon, Soraya Mafi, Rakie Ayola, Amy J. Payne
Running time: 2 hours 35 Minutes
Until 31 October 2025
Photo credit: Craig Fuller