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Stage Production Notes
Sunday in the Park with George is a fictitious portrayal of how French post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat created his well-known masterpiece “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The musical follows Seurat as he observes and interacts with characters from the painting, most notably his muse and lover, Dot. The second act follows Seurat’s great-grandson George as he attempts to be an artist in a commercial world.
The innovative concept musical was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, where it played to a subscription-only audience in July 1983. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine collaborated on the original musical, which was the first Sondheim musical to be workshopped off-Broadway, and without the view to immediately transfer to Broadway.
In October 1983, it was announced Sunday in the Park with George would indeed to transfer to Broadway. Following 35 previews, the Broadway production opened at the Booth Theatre on May 2, 1984.
New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich described Sunday a a “contemplative modernist musical,” and “an audacious, haunting and, in its own intensely personal way, touching work.”
The complex musical was nominated for a slew of awards, including 10 Tony Awards. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical, and eight Drama Desk awards including Best Musical.
The original Broadway production played 604 performances before closing on October 13, 1985.
Sunday in the Park with George first opened in London at the Royal National Theatre on March 15, 1990. Directed by Steven Pimlott, the production starred Philip Quast and Maria Friedman and won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Clips from the National Theatre production were aired on the BBC’s Omnibus, in a documentary entitled “Sunday in the Park with Stephen.” The program aired on March 20, 1990. It was re-screened at The Museum of Television and Radio in New York in March 2005 to celebrate Sondheim’s 75th birthday.
Sunday in the Park with George was revived on the West End in 2006, a transfer of a successful 2005 Menier Chocolate Factory production.
To celebrate the show’s tenth anniversary, a special benefit was held at the St. James Theatre on May 13, 1994.
The Roundabout Theatre and Studio 54 staged a well-received Broadway revival in 2007.
The Théâtre du Châtelet staged an elaborate production featuring a 46-person orchestra in 2013. The production was filmed live and aired on Mezzo TV in Europe.
The most recent Broadway revival took place at the newly renovated Hudson Theatre in 2016. The production began life as a staged reading at City Center starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.
Sunday in the Park with George is a fictitious portrayal of how French post-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat created his well-known masterpiece “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” The musical follows Seurat as he observes and interacts with characters from the painting, most notably his muse and lover, Dot. The second act follows Seurat’s great-grandson George as he attempts to be an artist in a commercial world.
The innovative concept musical was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, where it played to a subscription-only audience in July 1983. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine collaborated on the original musical, which was the first Sondheim musical to be workshopped off-Broadway, and without the view to immediately transfer to Broadway.
In October 1983, it was announced Sunday in the Park with George would indeed to transfer to Broadway. Following 35 previews, the Broadway production opened at the Booth Theatre on May 2, 1984.
New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich described Sunday a a “contemplative modernist musical,” and “an audacious, haunting and, in its own intensely personal way, touching work.”
The complex musical was nominated for a slew of awards, including 10 Tony Awards. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical, and eight Drama Desk awards including Best Musical.
The original Broadway production played 604 performances before closing on October 13, 1985.
Sunday in the Park with George first opened in London at the Royal National Theatre on March 15, 1990. Directed by Steven Pimlott, the production starred Philip Quast and Maria Friedman and won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Clips from the National Theatre production were aired on the BBC’s Omnibus, in a documentary entitled “Sunday in the Park with Stephen.” The program aired on March 20, 1990. It was re-screened at The Museum of Television and Radio in New York in March 2005 to celebrate Sondheim’s 75th birthday.
Sunday in the Park with George was revived on the West End in 2006, a transfer of a successful 2005 Menier Chocolate Factory production.
To celebrate the show’s tenth anniversary, a special benefit was held at the St. James Theatre on May 13, 1994.
The Roundabout Theatre and Studio 54 staged a well-received Broadway revival in 2007.
The Théâtre du Châtelet staged an elaborate production featuring a 46-person orchestra in 2013. The production was filmed live and aired on Mezzo TV in Europe.
The most recent Broadway revival took place at the newly renovated Hudson Theatre in 2016. The production began life as a staged reading at City Center starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.
Filmed Production Notes
After the original Broadway run had ended, a special performance of Sunday in the Park with George was held at the Booth Theatre in order for the show to be taped. The vast majority of the original cast, including Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, returned for the taping which was produced by Michael Brandman and Emanuel Azenberg.
Terry Hughes directed the television taping and was quoted as saying, “I shot the show like a movie, with hand-held cameras and many angles and crane-supported cameras that swoop and glide.” Hughes understood that some of the full-stage pictures would be lost in the taping and use of various camera angles, but felt that the use of close-ups would enrich the piece by allowing the audience to see the actors’ mouths and better understand Sondheim’s complex lyrics.
Sunday in the Park with George first aired on North American television on pay tv channel Showtime on February 18, 1986. A few months later, it aired on public television on American Playhouse.
The taping received mixed reviews. John J. O’Connor believed “much of the magic [had] been clipped,” while Frank Rich felt that it was “hard to imagine a more sensitive transcription than the one achieved here.” The Discerning Film Lover’s Guide describes Sunday in the Park with George as a “superb production.”
Karl-Lorimar Home Video released Sunday in the Park with George on VHS in 1986. The Laserdisc was released in 1987.
Image Entertainment released the DVD in 1999 and Billboard predicted it would be one of the highest selling “nontheatrical titles” of the season. The DVD contained audio commentary recorded by Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine, Mandy Patinkin, and Bernadette Peters.
Sunday in the Park with George is available to view Apple TV, and DVD.
After the original Broadway run had ended, a special performance of Sunday in the Park with George was held at the Booth Theatre in order for the show to be taped. The vast majority of the original cast, including Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, returned for the taping which was produced by Michael Brandman and Emanuel Azenberg.
Terry Hughes directed the television taping and was quoted as saying, “I shot the show like a movie, with hand-held cameras and many angles and crane-supported cameras that swoop and glide.” Hughes understood that some of the full-stage pictures would be lost in the taping and use of various camera angles, but felt that the use of close-ups would enrich the piece by allowing the audience to see the actors’ mouths and better understand Sondheim’s complex lyrics.
Sunday in the Park with George first aired on North American television on pay tv channel Showtime on February 18, 1986. A few months later, it aired on public television on American Playhouse.
The taping received mixed reviews. John J. O’Connor believed “much of the magic [had] been clipped,” while Frank Rich felt that it was “hard to imagine a more sensitive transcription than the one achieved here.” The Discerning Film Lover’s Guide describes Sunday in the Park with George as a “superb production.”
Karl-Lorimar Home Video released Sunday in the Park with George on VHS in 1986. The Laserdisc was released in 1987.
Image Entertainment released the DVD in 1999 and Billboard predicted it would be one of the highest selling “nontheatrical titles” of the season. The DVD contained audio commentary recorded by Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine, Mandy Patinkin, and Bernadette Peters.
Sunday in the Park with George is available to view Apple TV, and DVD.
Sunday in the Park with George PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Booth Theatre, New York
Producer: Michael Brandman, Emanuel Azenberg, The Shubert Organization: Bernard B. Jacobs, Gerald Schoenfeld, Playwrights Horizons
Book: James Lapine
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Director: James Lapine, Film: Terry Hughes
Musical Director and Conductor: Paul Gemignani
Orchestrations: Michael Starobin
Scenic Design: Tony Straiges
Costume Design: Patricia Zipprodt and Ann Hould-Ward
Lighting Design: Richard Nelson, Film: Bill Klages
Sound Design: Tom Morse, Film: Doug Nelson
Hair and Wig Design: Charles LoPresto
Hair and Make-Up Design: Richard Allen
Stage Manager: Fredric H. Orner, Loretta Robertson, Steven Shaw, Film: Greg Sills
Cast:
Mandy Patinkin (George)
Bernadette Peters (Dot / Marie)
Charles Kimbrough (Jules / Bob Greenberg)
Barbara Bryne (Old Lady / Blair Daniels)
Dana Ivey (Yvonne / Naomi Eisen)
Mary D’Arcy (Celeste #2 / Elaine)
Natalie Polizzi (Louise)
Sue Anne Gershenson (Woman with baby carriage / Photographer)
Cris Groenendaal (Man Lying on the Bank / Louis / Billy Webster)
John Jellison (Man with Bicycle / Museum Assistant)
Frank Kopyc (Mr. / Lee Randolph)
Judith Moore (Mrs. / Hariet Pawling / Nurse)
Nancy Opel (Frieda / Betty)
William Parry (A Boatman / Charles Redmond)
Michele Rigan (Little Girl)
Brent Spiner (Franz / Dennis)
Melanie Vaughan (Celese #1 / A Waitress)
Robert Westenberg (A Soldier / Alex)
Theatre: Booth Theatre, New York
Producer: Michael Brandman, Emanuel Azenberg, The Shubert Organization: Bernard B. Jacobs, Gerald Schoenfeld, Playwrights Horizons
Book: James Lapine
Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Director: James Lapine, Film: Terry Hughes
Musical Director and Conductor: Paul Gemignani
Orchestrations: Michael Starobin
Scenic Design: Tony Straiges
Costume Design: Patricia Zipprodt and Ann Hould-Ward
Lighting Design: Richard Nelson, Film: Bill Klages
Sound Design: Tom Morse, Film: Doug Nelson
Hair and Wig Design: Charles LoPresto
Hair and Make-Up Design: Richard Allen
Stage Manager: Fredric H. Orner, Loretta Robertson, Steven Shaw, Film: Greg Sills
Cast:
Mandy Patinkin (George)
Bernadette Peters (Dot / Marie)
Charles Kimbrough (Jules / Bob Greenberg)
Barbara Bryne (Old Lady / Blair Daniels)
Dana Ivey (Yvonne / Naomi Eisen)
Mary D’Arcy (Celeste #2 / Elaine)
Natalie Polizzi (Louise)
Sue Anne Gershenson (Woman with baby carriage / Photographer)
Cris Groenendaal (Man Lying on the Bank / Louis / Billy Webster)
John Jellison (Man with Bicycle / Museum Assistant)
Frank Kopyc (Mr. / Lee Randolph)
Judith Moore (Mrs. / Hariet Pawling / Nurse)
Nancy Opel (Frieda / Betty)
William Parry (A Boatman / Charles Redmond)
Michele Rigan (Little Girl)
Brent Spiner (Franz / Dennis)
Melanie Vaughan (Celese #1 / A Waitress)
Robert Westenberg (A Soldier / Alex)
Sources
Books
Articles
Websites
- Stephen Banfield, Sondheim’s Broadway Musicals, The University of Michigan Press (1993)
- Ed. David Bleiler, TLA Film and Video Guide: The Discerning Film Lover’s Guide 2000-2001, St. Martin’s Griffin (1999)
- Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine, introduction by Andre Bishop, “Sunday in the Park with George,” Applause Theatre & Cinema Books (1991)
Articles
- Michael Buckley, “STAGE TO SCREENS: "Good Thing Going: Celebrating Sondheim at 75," The Museum of Television & Radio Tribute,” Playbill (March 13, 2005)
- Gregory P. Dorr, “Sunday in the Park with George,” DVD Journal (1999)
- Glenn Erickson, “Sunday in the Park with George,” DVDTalk (Feb 28, 2002)
- Seth Goldstein, “Simitar Navigates Brave New World of DVD Budget Pricing; New Hires at Image,” Billboard (April 3, 1999), p. 74
- Carol Lawson
- “Summer's hottest ticket? How about Sondheim musical?” New York Times (June 17, 1983)
- “Broadway,” New York Times (Oct 21, 1983)
- “Summer's hottest ticket? How about Sondheim musical?” New York Times (June 17, 1983)
- Ian Morris, “Sunday in the Park with George: Original Broadway Cast,” Michael DVD (Jan 29, 2001)
- John J. O’Connor, “TV Review: ‘Sunday in the Park: Presented on Showtime,” New York Times (Feb 18, 1986)
- Frank Rich
- “Sondheim Says Goodbye to Broadway For Now,” New York Times (July 24, 1983)
- “Sunday in the Park with George,” New York Times (May 3, 1984)
- “Critics’ Choices; Cable TV,” New York Times (Feb 16, 1986)
- Steve Schenider, “Cable TV Notes; ‘Sunday in the Park’ is Staged Anew for Showtime,” New York Times (Feb 16, 1986)
Websites
- Playbill, “Sunday in the Park with George: Broadway/Musical/Original” Accessed via: http://www.playbill.com/production/sunday-in-the-park-with-george-booth-theatre-vault-0000001686
- The Stephen Sondheim Reference Guide, “Sunday in the Park with George,” Accessed via: http://www.sondheimguide.com/sunday.html#TV
- The Stephen Sondheim Society, “Sondheim on Television,” Accessed via: http://sondheim.org/archive/php/tv6759.html?m=9&s=-1
Written by Luisa Lyons (October, 2017)