Welsh National Opera’s latest production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at Llandudno was a brilliantly bawdy affair.

The WNO’s one performance of the West Side Story composer’s famous operetta at Venue Cymru on July 5 enthralled theatregoers.

It was not only packed with impressive arias accompanied by orchestra, soaring soprano voices and tremendous tenors but also stunning lighting design and a delightful measure of risqué humour.

Candide was played by the wonderful Ed Lyon who brought a wonderful wide-eyed naivety to the role.

His ability to dust himself down following his disastrous expeditions and adventures in pursuit of his beloved Cunegonde made him our hero and someone we cared about.

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Claudia Boyle was captivating as his object of affection Cunegonde.

Her feisty and courageous take on the character and moving vocals were a joy.

Chambermaid Paquette was played with heart and spirit by the exquisite Francesca Saracino.

Mark Nathan was first class as Candide’s self-obsessed half sibling Maximillian who revelled in some of the piece’s more scandalous scenes and titillating dialogue.

Likewise, Madeleine Shaw as The Old Woman, whose tales of sexual adventures and incredible vocal range, were astonishing.

Julian Boyce’s brief appearance as the Archbishop will remain long in the memory as to will Aled Hall as the outrageous Governor.

But this delightful celebration of high camp humour and farce from director James Bonas was made more palatable thanks to our narrator and teacher Dr Pangloss (Gillian Bevan) and her welcomed delicate wit.

Special mention must also go to the show’s conductor Karen Kamensek who was deserving of her warm audience reaction.

What made this opera stand out for this reviewer however was the employment of its backdrop projections.

You couldn’t help but be captivated by the technique, called Cinesthetics, developed by French illustrator and animator Gregoire Pont.

Designed by its creator to make classical music more accessible, it was used to great effect to illustrate the operetta’s explosive war sequence, transport us across seas, and humorously illustrate Maximillian’s grizzly death.

When combined with choreography and staging the animation technique, reminiscent of Monty Python on several occasions, brought to life Parisian boulevards, seedy night spots and Spanish Inquisition trials.

This bold adaptation of Candide from the WNO harnessed the positive power of humour and cutting-edge technology to dazzle purists and newcomers to the world of opera.