Pack the picnic and put the champagne on ice for a very special Mazda Opera in The Domain when Opera Australia and Sydney Festival join forces to present Leonard Bernstein's extravagant comedy, Candide. Based on Voltaire's satirical novel of 1759, Candide is a hilarious, harsh and hedonistic adventure.

Festival Director Lindy Hume has created a semi-staged version of Bernstein's operatic fantasy which features some of American music theatre's greatest moments.

Blindly following the advice of his tutor Pangloss (Paul McDermott), the relentlessly optimistic Candide (David Hobson) careers through a series of wild experiences and astonishing coincidences to return home to his beloved Cunegonde (Emma Matthews) enlighted by a new, more realistic philosophy of life. Everyone is invited to share in one of Sydney's favourite summer treats, and it's all for free.

Join the stars of Opera Australia together with the Opera Australia Chorus and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, conducted by Paul Kildea, for a crazy and memorable summer night.