‘Candide’ to be back at La Scala

Robert Carsen, director of the Paris production of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” that was dropped by Milan’s La Scala opera house last week, said the production was back on the slate after he agreed to adjust it for the Milanese audience.

In a long telephone conversation with La Scala General Manager Stephane Lissner, “I urged him to reconsider, and that’s what he’s done,” Carsen said. They agreed to talk about specifics later.

After seeing the production, Lissner had said he was dropping “Candide” from the 2006-07 season because it strayed too far from Bernstein’s original work. The show featured world leaders, including President Bush, drinking and dancing around in swimsuits.

Asked whether he would scrap the scene with the seaside revelry, Carsen said that by the time the show reached Milan in June, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac might not be in power any longer. “Everyone’s going to sit back and think about this,” he said. “I’m interested in making sure we have the best of all possible ‘Candides’ at La Scala.”