Lauren Molina & Geoff Packard Begin CANDIDE Performances at the Huntington Theatre

Lauren Molina and Geoff Packard are bringing the Goodman Theatre's acclaimed production of CANDIDE, directed and newly adapted by Mary Zimmerman, to the Huntington Theatre. Performances begin tonight, September 10, 2011. Tickets are on sale through October 16, 2011.  

The production comes to the Huntington Theatre after premiering at the Goodman last fall and an encore run at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington DC.

Molina (Cunegonde) and Packard (Candide) will be joined at the Huntinton by Tom Aulino (Sailor), Spencer Curnutt (Sailor), McCaela Donovan (Pacquette), Alexander Elisa (Innkeeper), Rebecca Finnegan (Baroness), Evan Harrington (Orator), Erik Lochtefeld (Maximilian), Abby Mueller (Orator's Wife), Jeff Parker (Anabaptist), Jesse Perez (Cacambo), Emma Rosenthal (Bird), Cheryl Stern (Old Lady), Timothy John Smith (Governor), Joey Stone (Soldier), Tempe Thomas (Queen of El Dorado), Travis Turner (Servant), Larry Yando (Pangloss), and swings Tom Hamlett and Shonna McEachern.

CANDIDE chronicles, in lightning-fast progression, the story of a young man banished from his home, drafted into the Bulgarian army and forced to endure relentless disaster. Voltaire's satiric genius is found in Candide's earnest attempts to trivialize the tragedy and uphold the contention of his mentor, Dr. Pangloss, that all things happen for the best in this ‘best of all possible worlds'. Although Candide's journey is described with humor, Voltaire raises serious questions: How can mankind deal with disaster without surrendering to despair? Can optimism prevail in a world that frequently seems randomly cruel? How is survival itself possible in an environment that often gleefully refutes Pangloss's hopeful axiom?

For tickets and more information, visit www.huntingtontheatre.org.

Photo credit: Liz Lauren