Candide
21 November to 13 December 2026
LA Opera stages Bernstein's Candide in Francesca Zambello's production, with Patti LuPone as the Old Lady, for six performances.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012
Why it is worth going
Patti LuPone, three times a Tony winner (Evita, Gypsy, Company) and an Olivier winner, sings the Old Lady.1 Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director of Washington National Opera, directs; she also staged Candide for the company in 2018.1 Duke Kim, a Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition grand finals winner, sings the title role, and Meghan Picerno, a Christine in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway, makes her company debut as Cunegonde.1 Resident Conductor Lina González-Granados conducts.1 The version is John Caird's, with lyrics by Richard Wilbur and additions by Stephen Sondheim, Dorothy Parker and Lillian Hellman, among others; the production is shared with the Glimmerglass Festival, Opéra National de Bordeaux and Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse.1 Sung in English with subtitles; about two and a half hours with one intermission.1
Sources
- Candide at LA Opera 2026-27. laopera.org, read 26 September 2026.
- Getting Here - LA Opera. laopera.org, read 26 September 2026.
Last checked 26 September 2026.