When will the performance of Candide take place?

The performance will take place on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM.

Where will Candide be performed?

The performance will take place at the Theater am Bismarckplatz, Bismarckplatz 7, 93047 Regensburg.

What do the tickets cost?

According to the schedule, the tickets are available in a price range from 8 to 52 euros.

Is there an introduction before the performance?

Yes, an introduction is scheduled for 5:30 PM.

How long does the performance last?

The event is scheduled from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM and thus lasts about two and a half hours.

Who is directing Candide?

The direction is by Ronny Scholz. The musical direction is under John Spencer.

Candide in Regensburg: Bernstein's sparkling satire between comic, operetta, and world tour

Name: Candide
Start: 2026-10-18T18:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-18T20:30:00+02:00
Location: Theater am Bismarckplatz

Candide in Regensburg: Bernstein's biting world tour as a dazzling stage experience

On October 18, 2026, the theater at Bismarckplatz in Regensburg transforms into a grotesque world stage: Leonard Bernstein's Candide combines operetta, musical, revue, and societal satire into a musically sparkling theater evening. The performance begins at 6:00 PM and guides the audience together with Voltaire's incorrigible optimist through wars, disasters, love confusions, and philosophical misadventures.

Between Optimism and Abyss

At the center is Candide, who believes in the teaching of his master Pangloss that he lives in the best of all possible worlds. But his journey takes him through a reality that repeatedly painful contradicts this optimism. Voltaire aimed for blind belief in progress, religious dogmas, and political power with biting irony as early as 1759. Bernstein transfers this satire into a score full of dance energy, lyrical beauty, and surprising musical colors.

A production between comic, operetta, and live illustration

The Regensburg production by Ronny Scholz relies on an unusual interplay of acting, music theater, and visual storytelling. Live illustrations accompany the action and make the numerous locations of this adventurous journey immediately visible. Around 750 drawings and paintings were created for the production or were made live during the performance and projected onto a large stage screen.

This creates a stage design that shapes itself in the moment: lines become landscapes, figures become caricatures, political allusions become pointed visual comments. The theater atmosphere thrives on the rapid transitions between opulent operetta music, black humor, and illustrated stage fantasy.

Bernstein's score as a musical compass

The dramaturgy follows Candide's restless journey through more than thirty locations. This episodic structure demands a clear musical center. Bernstein's score takes on this task with great elegance: each number possesses its own color, from the virtuosic ensemble to the sensitive aria. The Philharmonic Orchestra Regensburg and the opera choir give the evening its acoustic breadth.

The musical direction is under John Spencer. In Ronny Scholz's production, precise direction, fast-paced choreography, and a consciously exaggerated visual language come together. Michael Heuberger narrates the confusing plot; Loriot's pointed intertexts add additional comic sharpness to the events.

Local color with a sharp gaze

The Regensburg version does not shy away from a direct look at its own city. Local references, satirical drawings, and a wink at regional figures give the production a special closeness to the audience. The historical satire thereby does not remain in the museum: it gains contemporary relevance and unfolds its effect right in the familiar urban space.

An evening for opera lovers and curious theatergoers

Candide is not only aimed at a classical opera audience. The mix of musical, comic operetta, concert music, drama, and live comics opens the stage as well for visitors who previously felt apprehensive about music theater. The stage experience thrives on its contrast: splendid music meets grotesque images, philosophical questions meet slapstick, romantic longing meets political satire.

The performance lasts from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. An introduction is scheduled for 5:30 PM. Tickets are available in a price range from 8 to 52 euros.

Conclusion: A sparkling journey through the absurdity of the world

Leonard Bernstein's Candide promises an evening full of sound, wit, visual surprises, and intellectual friction in Regensburg. Those who underestimate operetta as a light genre will experience here a production with bite: a living total work of art that brings laughter while simultaneously questioning one's own certainties. This stage experience should be experienced live.