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Candide Analysis

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Through music and interpretation, Bernstein's Candide offered a range of entertainment. From the happiness to the sadness this rollercoaster of a plot gave the viewer a performance to be remembered. How Bernstein's uses his costumes and props helps the development of the characterization in Bernstein's Candide. Since the costumes did not follow any time period, each one of them was created to fit each character's personality or attributes. As a result of this Candide’s costume of lederhosen reflected his immaturity. In Germany lederhosen were worn specifically by young men. Candide’s dress served as a way to communicate with the audience that instead of a full grown man this character is to portray a boy in the show. In contrast, Cunegonde's cocktail dress represents her personality, not her age. The dress being sparkly and a bright pink showed how Cunegonde was not timid, but bold. One could immediately tell the character of Cunegonde is all about appearances, and the audience can come to the conclusion that she is not reserved but quite the opposite. Paquette's apron mirrors the status of the character, the audience can make her out to be a servant without her to pull one string on the baroness's corset. The old woman having a quilt patch dress shows her current position, but the jewels on her fingers and the pearls on her neck showed her past of being a wealthy woman of her time. Each of these perfectly selected costumes allows the essence of the characters to be

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