Gingold Theatrical Group's 2022 production of Candida is getting another life this month. Directed by David Staller, the re-imagined George Bernard Shaw play will be available for streaming July 25-30.
The production originally ran Off-Broadway at Theatre Row last fall where it opened October 25, 2022 and played through November 19. Set in 1929 Harlem instead of 1895 London, the Sondheim-inspired take follows Reverend James Morell and his wife Candida, played by R.J. Foster (Fat Ham) and Avanthika Srinivasan (Queen), living a comfortable life—until everything is thrown into question by new housemate and young poet, Marchbanks. In a time of global turmoil, six characters gather to reconsider how they define themselves and how they will move forward into their futures.
Avery Whitted (Against the Hillside) played the disruptive poet Marchbanks, with Peter Romano (First Down) as Lexy, David Ryan Smith (Epiphany) as Burgess, and Amber Reauchean Williams (Behind the Sheet) as Prossy. Alton Alburo (to the yellow house), Fernando Lamberty (Law & Order: Organized Crime), and Matenin Sangare (School Girls: Or, the African Mean Girls Play) served as understudies.
“Stephen Sondheim and I were first introduced when I was 15 through my godmother [and A Little Night Music's original Madame Armfeldt] Hermione Gingold (for whom we named Gingold Theatrical Group),” said Staller, the director, in an earlier statement. “Our common link was a fascination with George Bernard Shaw, especially his activism and humanitarianism. Sondheim claimed that there was nothing he wrote that was not inspired by Shaw. We enjoyed lively debates over the many unanswered questions raised by Candida in particular. It was the only Shaw play that he’d considered setting to music. Though we won’t be turning the play into a musical, we will be resetting the play in a manner that Sondheim had been suggesting for years: in New York City at a time when the church (desperate to get people to come back for Sunday services) began sending their rock-star ministers to underserved communities at the end of the 1920s, which paralleled the time when Shaw wrote the play in London’s 1890s. It’s incredibly exasperating that Sondheim is no longer around to challenge us as we dive into this glorious comedy, but I feel this production will be a tribute to him, his love of George Bernard Shaw, and our long friendship.”
Staller helmed the creative team which featured scenic designer Lindsay Genevieve Fuori, lighting designer Jamie Roderick, sound designer Michael Costagliola, and costume designer Dustin Cross. Props were by Sean Sanford, and hair design by The Wig Associates. Casting was by TBD Casting Company's Stephanie Yankwitt.
Streaming passes for Candida are $25.
Visit StellarTickets.com.
Check out the 2022 production below.
Avanthika Srinivasan and Avery Whitted in Candida
Avanthika Srinivasan and R.J. Foster in Candida
Avanthika Srinivasan, Avery Whitted, David Ryan Smith, and R.J. Foster in Candida
Avanthika Srinivasan, Avery Whitted, David Ryan Smith, and R.J. Foster in Candida
Peter Romano, R.J. Foster, and Amber Reauchean Williams in Candida
The Company of Candida
The Company of Candida
