Linda Lavin to Lead New York City Opera's CANDIDE, Directed by Harold Prince; Cast Announced!

New York City Opera has announced the cast for its January 2017 production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide directed by legendary Broadway visionary Harold Prince and choreographed by Patricia Birch.

The production will also mark a notable New York City Opera debut with the role of the Old Lady played by Linda Lavin, the television, stage and cabaret star and Tony Award-winning actress best known for playing the title role in the television series Alice.

Leading the ensemble cast of Bernstein's comic operetta are Tony Award-nominated Broadway veteran Gregg Edelman (original Broadway casts of City of Angels and Passion, Broadway revival of Into the Woods) as Voltaire, Pangloss, Governor, Businessman, Police Chief, 2nd Gambler and Wisest Man; singer-actor Jay Armstrong Johnson (Sweeney Todd, New York Philharmonic; Broadway revival of On the Town; The Most Happy Fella, City Center Encores!) as Candide; coloratura soprano Meghan Picerno (Don Giovanni, Prelude to Performance; Die Zauberflöte, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall; Hansel and Gretel, Kennedy Center) as Cunegonde; the versatile American baritone Keith Phares(The Barber of Seville, Washington National Opera; Les pêcheurs de perles, Seattle Opera; Mourning Becomes Electra, Florida Grand Opera; The Little Prince, New York City Opera) as Maximilian; and singing actress Jessica Tyler Wright(War Horse, Sweeney Todd (revival), Broadway; Allegro, Classic Stage Company; Candide, New York City Opera, 2008) as Paquette.

Guest starring as the various characters encountered by Candide on his whirlwind quest for "the best of all possible worlds" are Chip Zien who created the role of The Baker in the original production of Into the Woods, as Max's Servant (Hugo), Radu (1st Bulgarian), Judge, Father Bernard, Rich Jew (Issachar), First Gambler, and Brooks Ashmanskas, who most recently appeared in the Broadway production of Shuffle Along, as Pasha-Prefect, Baron, Grand Inquisitor and Slave Driver.

Additional production details will be announced at a later date.

New York City Opera's production of Bernstein's Candide will run for 6 performances, January 6 through January 12, at Jazz at Lincoln Center's Rose Theater. For tickets, call CenterCharge: (212) 721-6500 or visit jazz.org.

For more information, go to www.nycopera.com.