Candide, a new play by Royal Shakespeare Company writer-in-residence Mark Ravenhill, is to have its world première in the Swan Theatre at Stratford.
Ravenhill’s work was written as a response to the philosophical novel Candide written by French philosopher François-Marie d'Arouet, also known as Voltaire.
First published in 1759, Candide traces the journey of a young man who leads a sheltered life, believing that mankind lives in the best of all possible worlds and that everything happens for the best.
Ravenhill says, ”Candide has long been a favourite book of mine. I wanted to explore Voltaire's satirical view of humanity's capacity for optimism and ask what it might mean for us today.
“I'm fascinated by Doctor Pangloss's belief in the book that this is the best of all possible worlds. This got me thinking that it would be exciting to write a play set in a number of different possible worlds, each of them exploring the question of optimism in a different way.
“In my play, we visit a Venetian noblewoman's house as she puts on a play of the life of Candide; an 18th birthday party set in contemporary Britain which ends in terrible disaster; the offices of an international mogul as he sets out to make a movie based on a real life story of survival; the utopian world of Eldorado where gold is worthless and sheep fly; and the slightly-in-the-future Pangloss Institute where optimism has become a thriving business venture.”
Candide is directed by Lyndsey Turner, associate director at Sheffield Crucible and The Gate Theatre.
She says, “It's a play about ideas, but it's been written with a healthy dose of spectacle: sword fights, dances, songs and great parts for actors.
“Whereas the novel transports its hero from country to country, Mark's play collides different time periods together, speeding us from the 18thcentury to the future over the course of five scenes.
“Each scene has its own aesthetic, musical style and acting style: the challenge has been in keeping the paint colours separate and allowing each new reality to be itself.”
The cast is led by Matthew Needham in the title role, with Ian Redford as Pangloss. Needham is currently appearing in Titus Andronicus while Redford is in A Mad World My Masters.
Susan Engel joins the company as Cunegonde and other roles are taken by the current RSC ensemble of Ellie Beaven, Ishia Bennison, Richard Goulding, Kevin Harvey, John Hopkins, Harry McEntire, Ciarán Owens, Rose Reynolds, Steffan Rhodri, Sarah Ridgeway, Katy Stephens, Badria Timimi and Dwane Walcott.
Designer is Soutra Gilmour. Lighting is by Tim Lutkin and Christopher Shutt. Music is by Michael Bruce and sound by Christopher Shutt. Movement is by Scott Ambler and fights by Bret Yount.
Candide runs from Thursday (29 August) until Saturday 26 October. Press night is Thursday 5 September.
The performance includes “strong language, violence and reckless optimism”.