CANDIDE by Voltaire… yes, but above all, by Tout à Trac!
Candide, a good and guileless young man, is swept away against his will on a journey across the world. There, he discovers—contrary to what his mentor, the philosopher Pangloss, taught him—that perhaps everything is not “for the best in the best of all possible worlds.” He encounters war, famine, natural disasters, injustice, and the good—though more often the worst—of humanity.
What are we to do when we become aware of the world around us? How should we act when faced with what lies beyond our control? Do we have a role to play and, if so, what is it? How do we “cultivate our garden,” and why?
While Voltaire’s novel uses comedy and buffoonish laughter to invite us to reflect on humanity and its flaws, this theatrical adaptation goes even further, playing with theatrical conventions in the signature style of Tout à Trac.
Ensemble acting, masks, puppetry, and heightened theatricality: everything is in place to tell this wild odyssey that leads Candide from Germany to Holland, from Portugal to Venice, by way of South America and its utopian Eldorado, all the way to Constantinople… Storms, war, carnival, earthquakes, and the Inquisition are all on the menu of this tale where humans show their worst face, but also their best. For Candide reminds us that, despite all our flaws, we also possess extraordinary capacities—including the ability to laugh and to dream.
With Candide, Tout à Trac invites you on an incredible philosophical and theatrical journey into the heart of darkness, but also the beauty of the human adventure.
A Théâtre Tout à Trac production.
In collaboration with the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier :
Calendar
On tour in 27-28!
Actors
| Gabriel Favreau | CANDIDE |
| Carl Béchard | Pangloss and other roles |
| Éloi Cousineau | Martin and other roles |
| Florence Deschênes | Jacqueline and other roles |
| Tommy Joubert | Cunégonde's brother and other roles |
| Marilou Leblanc | Cunégonde and other roles |
| Phara Thibault | Cacambo and other roles |
| Marie-Ève Trudel | The old lady and other roles |
Conceptors
| Playright and Direction | Hugo Bélanger |
| Assistant stage director and Stage manager | Alexandra Sutto |
| Production manager | Michel Tremblay |
| Technical Direction | Pierre Dufour |
| Scenography | Jonas Veroff Bouchard |
| Costumes design | Jessica Poirier-Chang |
| Lighting design | Leticia Hamaoui |
| Original music and Sound design | Sébastien Watty-Langlois |
| Props design | Alain Jenkins |
| Makeup and hairstyles design | Véronique St-Germain |
Collaborators
| Costume design assistant | Pascale Bassani |
| Technical drafter | Benoît Hébert – Square One Studio |
| Vocal coach | Frédérike Bédard |
| Intern | Gabriel Proulx-Dumay |
| Photographer | Victor Diaz Lamich |
| COSTUMES | |
| Costume assistant, Head of wardrobe | Pascale Bassani |
| Cutter | Julie Sauriol |
| Seamstresses | Pascale Bassani, Camille Beauchamp-Lefebvre, Valérie Dumaine, Laurence Racine, Ève Sévigny |
| Patina | Mélanie Turcotte, Félix Marcoux, Michèle Vuong |
| Hats | Annie Roy |
| Wardrobe dresser | Marie-Hélène Gervais |
| SET | |
| Set construction | Productions Yves Nicol |
| Arch Structure Fabrication | Aciers Trans-Rol |
| Built-in Lighting Integration | Vincent Prairie |
Public
General audience
Status
Created in November 2025.
On tour in 2027-2028
Resources
Photographe: Victor Diaz Lamich
In the Medias
"After The Dreamer in His Bath, Hugo Bélanger does it again with an explosive adaptation that pushes the limits of the imagination. Each of his productions is a box of tricks where his creative genius sparkles like fireworks. » (Eklectikmedia)
"Voltaire would surely have appreciated this original reading of his novel. He would have welcomed the preservation of its satirical spirit in the face of the greatest war that Europe was experiencing at that time. But he would have been appalled to see that the insight of his fable is still so relevant three centuries later..." (JEU Review)
"Last night at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, Candide stood out as an inventive, comical and refreshing adaptation of Voltaire's most famous work (...) I have rarely seen on stage such an invigorating and lively philosophical and creative journey! (Les Artsze)
"Hugo Bélanger's staging is a real playground. (...) You move from one style to another with fluidity, as if the show was holding your hand to tell you: "Look at how lively, free and fragmented the theatre can be". If you want a show that transports you elsewhere without losing you, that celebrates the human heart even when it stubbornly hopes, go see Candide. You'll come out of it with a smile... and maybe even with a little desire to put the world to rights. (MEVEETCIE.CA)
"A classic revisited with intelligence (...) A play that reminds us that in the midst of the absurdities of the world, wonder remains perhaps our best refuge. » (The Notebook)
"Hugo Bélanger's ingenuity must be underlined (...) There are also some great finds in his very commedia dell'arte staging, (...) Another mention, this one for the designers: the work of Jessica Poirier-Chang on the costumes, (...) As well as the shimmering lighting of Leticia Hamaoui. (LA PRESSE)
"While the visual aspect of the production is ample to charm the audience, the cast of eight performers — in which veteran Carl Béchard shines in the role of the grandiloquent philosopher Pangloss — displays unfailing energy and conviction." (LE DEVOIR)