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Abstract: «Candide» (1758) by Voltaire is not only the first philosophic novel of the age of Enlightenment, but a classical plot which has been adapted and interpreted for many years. The plot was translated to the theatre as well, and there are, e. g., Leonard Bernstein’s famous musical «Candide» or recent Russian performance on the scenario by A. Rodionov and E. Troyepolskaya. «Candide» by Mark Ravenhill, a leader of British New drama, is not actually an interpretation or adaptation of the classical novel, but an original project ‘inspired by Voltaire’. Ravenhill presents an interpretation of the classic story about the wanderings of the characters and he criticizes the concept of optimism which is, the playwright believes, particularly relevant nowadays. In the play there is an unprecedented story of the modern heroine Sophie, shooting her own family to save the planet from environmental disaster: «The Earth is not our garden to own and tend» (Ravenhill). Sarah, Sophie’s mother, writes a novel about the incident, therefore the laws of literature and art are discussed in the play by Ravenhill as well. Some earlier plays by Ravenhill are concerned with the interpretation of classics too, these are «Faust is Dead» or «Paradise Lost». «Candide» by the British playwright has been his most ambitious postmodern game with a precedent plot so far. The article considers Ravenhill’s satire, as far as optimistic philosophy is concerned, but doesn’t regard the very play as a philosophical one.