A raucous and ever so slightly twisted re-telling of Voltaire's 'Candide' by Tom Wright.
In the original telling Candide travels from country to country in search of a personal and philosophical truth. Staring the consummate physical comedian Frank Woodley, this version was set entirely in transit and populated by a family of clowns.
Reflecting the (at times) inane tribulations of contemporary travel (where we fly across the planet to disembark at an airport almost indistinguishable from the one we left) this production toured Melbourne, Sydney and Edinburgh and took the audience with it on a journey that was 2 parts philosophy and one part madness.
'OPTIMISM' is one of several shows made by this creative team and produced by Malthouse Theatre, the others included 'BABES IN THE WOODS', 'A JOURNAL OF A PLAGUE YEAR' and 'THE ODYSSEY'.
Produced by Malthouse Theatre in collaboration with Sydney Theatre Company.
Presented at:-
Malthouse, Melbourne. // Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh for the Edinburgh International festival.// Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House for Sydney Festival.
Set and Costume Design by Anna Tregloan.
Collaborators:
Michael Kantor, Director.
Tom Wright (after Voltaire), writer.
Paul Jackson, Lighting.
Iain Grandage, Composer.
Russell Goldsmith, Sound.
Luke George, Choreographer.
Cast: Amanda Bishop, Caroline Craig, Francis Greenslade, Hamish Michael, Barry Otto, Alison Whyte, Frank Woodley, David Woods, Amber MacMahon
Photography: Jeff Busby
