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Optimism single work   drama   satire  
Issue Details: First known date: 2009... 2009 Optimism
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AbstractHistoryArchive Description

'Turning a quizzical eye to the woes of the heart and reeking with scandal and scurrilous vice,' Tom Wright 'transforms Voltaire's classic satire of enlightened insanity, Candide, into a cutting commentary on the "no-worries" bravura of the Australian swagger.

'Brought up in the household of a powerful Baron, Candide is an open-minded young man, whose tutor, Pangloss, has instilled in him the belief that 'all is for the best". But when his love for the Baron's rosy-cheeked daughter is discovered, Candide is expelled from the land - forced to make his own way in the world...

'Through lands ravaged by Plague, and tests of religion and sex, our hero's resolve never wavers as he travels across continents in search of his beloved.'

Source: Malthouse Theatre website, http://www.malthousetheatre.com.au/
Sighted: 18/05/2009

Notes

  • Loosely adapated from Voltaire's eighteenth century satire Candide.

Production Details

  • World premiere produced by Malthouse Theatre at the Merlyn Theatre, Melbourne, 22 May - 13 June 2009. Director: Michael Kantor. Revised version produced at the Edinburgh Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland, 15 August 2009. Directed by Michael Kantor

Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of

First known date: 2009
VIEW PUBLICATION DETAILS FOR ALL VERSIONS ()

Works about this Work

Untitled Elissa Blake , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 17 January 2010; (p. 20)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
Upbeat Comedy on the Horrors of Life Jason Blake , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14 January 2010; (p. 15)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
Dark Mood Lies beneath the Cheeful Facade Clare Morgan , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12 January 2010; (p. 5)
Untitled John Bailey , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 7 June 2009; (p. 20)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
A Wide-Eyed Optimist Faithful to Voltaire Martin Ball , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 29 May 2009; (p. 16)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
A Wide-Eyed Optimist Faithful to Voltaire Martin Ball , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Age , 29 May 2009; (p. 16)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
Untitled John Bailey , 2009 single work review
— Appears in: The Sunday Age , 7 June 2009; (p. 20)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
Upbeat Comedy on the Horrors of Life Jason Blake , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14 January 2010; (p. 15)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
Untitled Elissa Blake , 2010 single work review
— Appears in: The Sun-Herald , 17 January 2010; (p. 20)
— Review of Optimism Tom Wright , 2009 single work drama
The Candide Man Can... Peter Craven , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Age , 16 May 2009; (p. 20)
Possible Worlds Rosemary Sorensen , 2009 single work column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 16-17 May 2009; (p. 6-7)
Dark Mood Lies beneath the Cheeful Facade Clare Morgan , 2010 single work column
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 12 January 2010; (p. 5)
VIEW ALL WORKS ABOUT (7)
Last amended 29 Jul 2009 14:26:32
Subjects:
Influenced by:
Voltaire
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