Reading shines fresh light on Voltaire classic

The Bloomington Playwrights Project will present a staged reading of “Candide Does America” this weekend, a modern twist on a classic penned by Voltaire. 

Written in 1759,  the original “Candide” features the disasters of Voltaire’s world, such as the Seven Years War and the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, as the protagonist learns that despite what he has been taught, he does not live in “the best of all possible worlds.” However, “Candide Does America,” written by Philadelphia playwright Donald C. Drake, is a modern tale focusing on the same ideas. The play was a finalist in the BPP’s Reva Shiner Full-Length Play Contest.

“This was a contender, and there were members of the community that liked it enough that they thought they would go ahead and program it even though it didn’t win,” said Bloomington newcomer Neil Parsons, who will direct the local production.

Sophomore Stanton Melvin, who plays Candide, said Drake did an amazing job in modernizing “Candide.”

“In the original, it’s the best of all possible worlds, and instead they brought it to the best of all possible countries,” Melvin said. “They really adapted and thought hard about how they could take the original and adapt it to America. You see prostitutes, you see NRA officials, you see everything you would see in America today.”

Bloomington resident Frank Buczolich, who plays the clown, said the issues presented are issues that Americans are currently dealing with.

“This is, in many ways, very topical, dealing with everything from military, global warming, health care availability, all sorts of things we’re currently seeing in the news,” he said.

Parsons said the script will be presented as a staged reading rather than a traditional production and will include the audience.

“With a fully staged production you expect a certain polish, but with a staged reading, that’s all sort of stripped down to the bare bones,” he said. “It’s a more intimate feeling, I think, kind of like you’re invited to just hang out with the cast.”

‘Candide Does America’
WHEN  8 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE Bloomington Playwrights Project, 107 W. Ninth St.
MORE INFO $10 generaladmission