Word: pangloss
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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That is the second riddle about Thomas and his philosophy. He bears no resemblance to the fatuous Dr. Pangloss, who chirped about this best world while stumbling through a series of catastrophes. Voltaire's doctor was an a priori optimist, and nothing that he saw or experienced could rattle his foolhardy faith. Thomas reverses this procedure and writes about things he has observed, grounding his conclusions in the tiniest material details that the world can provide. Because he has peered at nature's building blocks more closely than anyone but fellow biologists, and because he can translate...
About the only thing that could ruin Candide would be slow pacing. Given enough time to dwell on the frothiness of the whole thing, many audiences might become wearied with the obvious foolishness of Dr. Pangloss and company. To guard against such a reaction, Director George Hamlin has turned Candide into a three-ring circus that moves at the speed of light. The set sprawls the width of the theater, using the balconies over the theater entrance and a walkway that cuts through the 30 or 40 seats in the pit. Actors appear from every door in the theater, sometimes...
...hectic pace demands actors who can keep up with it, and here the Loeb production is blessed. William Falk--who plays Voltaire, Dr. Pangloss, the malevolent Spanish Governor, a Sultan and a Sage--gives five masterful performances and dominates the show from start to finish. With breathtakingly fast costume changes, Falk bounces between characters and never loses control. Even his face seems to change when he switches from the kindly Voltaire to the murderous Governor. His various accents are all convincing and consistent...
...rest of the production. He sings very well, but his acting relies too heavily on blow-dried good looks and glassy stares, even for a character as naive as Candide. The fault may be with the director for trying too hard to make Candide reflect the contrast between Dr. Pangloss's world view and the world itself. The result, however, is a boring character substituted for a sympathetic one. Jacob's performance doesn't hinder one's enjoyment of the show, it just doesn't advance the show as much as it could...
...Pangloss Bookstore, from the outside, looks to be more organized and accessible to the casual bookhunter, but once again, you really must resort to bugging the storekeepers for titles. I have yet to find anything in there that I've ever been looking for, but you are welcome...