Sunday In The Museum Next To The Park With GeorgeRegular readers will recall how much
I thoroughly enjoyed the stunning 2008 Broadway revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine's
Sunday In The Park With George.
The inspiration, of course, for that lovely musical was neo-impressionist painter
Georges-Pierre Seurat's pointillistic "
Sunday on La Grande Jatte."
Yesterday, during a quick weekend visit to the Windy City, I decided to visit
The Art Institute of Chicago, which recently opened a magnificent new
Modern Wing. As much as I enjoyed soaking in all the new works, I found myself much more drawn to the museum's extensive
Impressionists section, including the works of
Gustave Caillebotte,
Mary Cassatt,
Paul Cézanne,
Edgar Degas,
Paul Gauguin,
Edouard Manet,
Claude Monet,
Pierre Auguste Renoir,
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,
Vincent van Gogh and
Edouard Vuillard.
I stood in awe as I admired all their inspired works. But it was the painting positioned smack dab in the middle of that second floor section that made me stop dead in my tracks.
Georges Seurat's "Sunday on La Grande Jatte" (or "big platter") just screams out for closer scrutiny after first witnessing it upon one's entrance on the other side of the room where it's housed. As I moved closer to the immense canvas, it was truly difficult not to conjure up images of Seurat (
à la Mandy Patinkin or
Daniel Evans) and his painstaking resolution in getting each individual dot perfectly positioned to create the illusion of complete forms.
It must have been at least 15 years since I last laid eyes on that mesmerizing work of art. However, I certainly had not appreciated the discipline or determination that Seurat must have had until now. Fortunately, in the intervening years since last seeing the painting, I saw
Sunday In The Park With George, first the original on DVD and then the Broadway revival. So standing there, carefully examining Dot and her hat, I couldn't help but think of the lyric of that song, "Putting It Together" and simply marvel that "art isn't easy."
Thanks to the genius of Sondheim and Lapine, I gained a greater appreciation for just how ingenious Seurat himself was. Talk about the magic of live theatre and its transcendent reach into all aspects of our lives. Even a Sunday afternoon in the museum next to
Millennium Park, by George!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Art Institute of Chicago, Broadway, Chicago, Georges-Pierre Seurat, James Lapine, Musical, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday In The Park With George, Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Visual Arts
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part IIIWith just over one week to go before the American Theatre Wing’s 62nd annual
Tony Awards ceremonies honor the best of Broadway's 2007-08 Theatrical Season, I'm in the midst of offering my own prognostications on whom I believe
should win.
Yesterday,
I provided my picks for the acting categories and before that
my picks for best shows, as well as for musical book and score. Today, I tackle the creative direction categories.
As previously mentioned, this is the first year in which I've seen every nominated work and performance. So while I'm no theatre professional, I profess to having an opinion on every last category. Let me know if you agree on whom you believe should win (vs. those you think actually will).
Here are the nominees and my picks:
Best Scenic Design of a Play
Peter McKintosh -
The 39 StepsScott Pask -
Les Liaisons DangereusesTodd Rosenthal -
August: Osage CountyAnthony Ward -
Macbeth
Should Win: Scott Pask -
Les Liaisons Dangereuses As evidenced this season by his work on
The Ritz,
November and
Cry-Baby, Scott Pask has been one majorly busy man. But none of his set designs were more elaborate than the mesmerizing and sumptuous
Versaillesque milieu he recreated for
Les Liaisons Dangereuses.
Todd Rosenthal's three-story work for
August: Osage County was pretty lofty in its own right, but Pask's set design effectively took me back to 18th Century France.
Best Scenic Design of a MusicalDavid Farley and Timothy Bird & The Knifedge Creative Network -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeAnna Louizos -
In The HeightsRobin Wagner -
The New Mel Brooks Musical Young FrankensteinMichael Yeargan -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Should Win: David Farley and
Timothy Bird &
The Knifedge Creative Network -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeIn a field crowded with very worthy nominees (yes,
including Young Frankenstein), one team stands brilliantly apart.
Initially, necessity became
Sunday In The Park With George's mother of invention. In its earliest incarnation as the musical was strapped for cash, Tim Bird and The Knifedge Creative Network helped fill in the blanks of David Farley's effectively colorless set design with an enthralling, radiant projection design that is unequivocally the true star of the show. Together, they have made this tuner a gorgeous work of art worthy of a great master.
Best Costume Design of a Play
Gregory Gale -
Cyrano de BergeracRob Howell -
Boeing-BoeingKatrina Lindsay -
Les Liaisons DangereusesPeter McKintosh -
The 39 Steps
Should Win: Rob Howell -
Boeing-Boeing Pulling double duty,
Rob Howell's ingenious and vibrant red, blue and yellow set and costume designs literally help set the stage for the three flight attendants served up in this
tour de farce.
Even though Howell's designs go hand-in-hand, he's only been awarded one nomination. For all of his first-class work, he gets my vote as the best.
Best Costume Design of a Musical
David Farley -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeMartin Pakledinaz -
GypsyPaul Tazewell -
In The HeightsCatherine Zuber -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific 
Should Win: Martin Pakledinaz -
GypsyOne of the key reasons why this
Gypsy sparkles so brilliantly is because of Martin Pakledinaz's never-ending razzle-dazzling costume designs ranging from the frumpy to the fabulous.
Even though this is a revival, and we've seen variations on these designs before, Pakledinaz makes them all seem vividly fresh and real, whether it's the unholy trinity of Mazeppa, Electra and Tessie Tura or the metamorphosis of Louise into
Gypsy Rose Lee. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Kevin Adams -
The 39 StepsHoward Harrison -
MacbethDonald Holder -
Les Liaisons DangereusesAnn G. Wrightson -
August: Osage County
Should Win: Ann G. Wrightson -
August: Osage CountyThere's some serious competition here, but I have to narrow my choices down to Donald Holder and Ann G. Wrightson. My nod must go to the latter.
Whether it was the portentous flashes from the squad car or the flicker of the never-seen television set, Wrightson's subtle illuminations helped drive the drama and humor of
August: Osage County even further.
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Ken Billington -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeHowell Binkley -
In The HeightsDonald Holder -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South PacificNatasha Katz -
The Little Mermaid 
Should Win: Donald Holder -
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South PacificThere's also some stiff competition in this lighting category. Here, my choices come down to Howell Binkley and Donald Holder, both of whom expertly captured the movement of the sun into nighttime.
But Holder's artistry in evoking each blissful moment of this gorgeous revival with perfectly drawn brilliance makes
South Pacific absolutely radiant. Close call here, but Holder gets my nod.
Best Sound Design of a PlaySimon Baker -
Boeing-BoeingAdam Cork -
MacbethIan Dickson -
Rock ‘N’ RollMic Pool -
The 39 Steps
Should Win: Mic Pool -
The 39 StepsFinally, acknowledgement for the vital work that goes into providing essential sound designs for Broadway shows. This is the first year awards will be bestowed in this category.
While something tells me that the Tony voters will go with the more bombastic (read:
LOUD) nominee, whose work often drowned-out the already difficult-to-hear language of the Bard, it was Mic Pool's integral sound design that enabled
The 39 Steps' audience to sense where this comedy was going in spite of its simple set design.
Best Sound Design of a MusicalAcme Sound Partners -
In The HeightsSebastian Frost -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeScott Lehrer -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South PacificDan Moses Schreier -
Gypsy
Should Win: Scott Lehrer -
Rodgers & Hammerstein's South PacificTwo words: shower scene. Scott Leher somehow managed to mic
Kelli O'Hara in such a way that she lathered up and effortlessly sang "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair" in a shower. Without getting electrocuted.
Oh, and the rest of his sound design was pretty fantastic, too.
Best Orchestrations
Jason Carr -
Sunday In The Park With George
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman -
In The Heights
Stew & Heidi Rodewald -
Passing Strange
Jonathan Tunick -
A Catered Affair
Should Win: Alex Lacamoire &
Bill Sherman -
In The Heights
While you may have thought I'd be inclined to go with Stew and Heidi Rodewald yet again (given my love for
Passing Strange) it's time to give due props to
In The Heights.
Taking
Lin-Manuel Miranda's exuberent score and turning it into an even hotter than salsa hip-hop funk, Alex Lacamoire and Bill Sherman not only succeed in turning up the heat, but they've single-handedly taken
In The Heights to the heights I had hoped the rest of the show would be.
Best Choreography
Rob Ashford -
Cry-Baby
Andy Blankenbuehler -
In The Heights
Christopher Gattelli -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific
Dan Knechtges -
Xanadu
Should Win: Dan Knechtges -
Xanadu
Without a doubt, Rob Ashford's work was
the best thing about
Cry-Baby, and Andy Blankenbuehler certainly provided one of the year's most exhilarating displays of dance on stage in
In The Heights, surely making him a Tony favorite. But try doing all that on wheels, and backwards while you're at it.
An essential part of
Xanadu's
brilliant magic is derived directly from Dan Knechtges' daring roller-boogie choreography. When you consider the miniscule stage of the
Helen Hayes Theatre and the injuries notoriously inflicted on certain cast members negotiating their way across it in good old-fashioned roller skates, Knechtges' choreography was clearly fraught with danger. But the very essence of live theatre is danger. And it dazzled all the way.
Best Direction of a Play
Maria Aitken -
The 39 StepsConor McPherson -
The SeafarerAnna D. Shapiro -
August: Osage CountyMatthew Warchus -
Boeing-Boeing
Should Win: Anna D. Shapiro -
August: Osage CountyWhen you direct the year's best show, it stands to reason that you'll be the person to beat for Best Director.
But Shapiro more than earns this honor as she's taken a superb script and excellent ensemble and directed them into something unique that is both heartfelt and visceral. Its dramatic punch hits every bit as hard as the humor. Credit Shapiro with sharpening this play into a razor-edged, whip-smart American classic.
Best Direction of a Musical
Sam Buntrock -
Sunday In The Park With GeorgeThomas Kail -
In The HeightsArthur Laurents -
GypsyBartlett Sher -
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South PacificBarlett Sher -
South Pacific
Here's the category about which I'm most conflicted. Make no mistake, I adore just about everything that
Arthur Laurents has done to make
Gypsy the absolute Best Revival of a Musical this year. But as someone who's now taken his third crack at the work -- and he's been nominated for the 1975 revival -- perhaps it's time to recognize someone else.
That someone else, of course, is Bartlett Sher, whose loving interpretation of
South Pacific is both surprisingly innovative yet entirely natural, making his revival majestic. For a show in which racial bigotry is the issue, he also almost imperceptibly underscores the racial divide by slyly segregating what lonely African American troops inhabit this island to the sidelines.
As conflicted as I feel, I am compelled to give it to Sher.
Whoopi Goldberg hosts the 2008 Tony Awards on Sunday, June 15. The CBS broadcast begins at 8 p.m. EDT.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part II (June 5, 2008)
SOB's 2008 Tony Picks - Part I (June 4, 2008)
And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 12, 2008)
Labels: August Osage County, Boeing-Boeing, Gypsy, In The Heights, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, South Pacific, Sunday In The Park With George, The 39 Steps, Tony Awards, Xanadu
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of MusicalsDuring the 2007-08 Theatrical Season, I was in the audience for revivals of nine different musicals from Atlanta to Winnipeg.
If the tuner at the top of my list seems at all familiar, it's because as my all-time favorite musical, it made
my list last year as well. And while its leading lady remains the same, this year's production simply blew me away, beyond all expectations.
Here's my personal "5 Best" list of the musical revivals that thrilled me over the past twelve months:
5 - Sunday In The Park With George (Studio 54, Roundabout Theatre Company, New York, NY)
Art isn't easy. But in the hands of director
Sam Buntrock, an exquisite theatrical masterpiece literally comes to life, bit by dazzling bit. In the stunning revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine's
Sunday In The Park With George, Buntrock's ingenious staging begins with a blank canvas, but
Tim Bird and
The Knifedge Creative Network more than effectively fill in the blanks with an enthralling, radiant projection design that is unequivocally the true star of this musical. This fictionalized account of the painstaking, lonely artistic process undertaken by neo-impressionist
Georges-Pierre Seurat in creating his pointillistic painting "
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte" benefits from
Daniel Evans' manic, disciplined artist. An astounding
Jenna Russell renders an impish, yet heartbreaking performance as George's simple-minded and attention-starved muse. As wonderful as this duo is, the performance that touched me the most was the luminescent
Mary Beth Peil as George's long-neglected mother sitting stoically in a haunting display of dignified sorrow as her son steals away her chance to know her only grandchild.
Sondheim's memorable score wins the day and eventually helps elevate it to a glorious conclusion. As
noted at the beginning of the year,
Sunday In The Park With George rated as one of the five stage productions I most eagerly anticipated for 2008. This is unmistakably a great work of art.
4 - Nine (CanWest Global Performing Arts Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)
Winnipeg's Dry Cold Productions offered a gorgeous revival of
Arthur Kopit and
Maury Yeston's wonderful
Nine last summer featuring amazing Manitoba talent. Who knew? This stark, yet beautiful revival served as an astonishing, albeit frugal, showcase for its fine, amassed troupe. What I've always enjoyed about
Nine is its ability to illuminate a man, Guido Contini, who's precariously on the precipice of middle age, afraid to relinquish his youth. This Guido was forcefully played with vigor by Kevin Aichele, whose ability to perfectly capture Guido's playboy rapscallion -- as well as his aching epiphany that's he's no longer the boy he once was -- was nothing short of captivating.
Dry Cold Productions' little musical may have been short-lived and seen by relatively few, but its
Nine has loomed large with me ever since taking it in last Memorial Day Weekend.
3 - South Pacific (Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Lincoln Center, New York, NY)
From the moment
Ted Sperling cues his 30-piece orchestra, commencing the initial swells from the overture for one of the 20th Century's most beloved musical scores, it's clear that this
South Pacific is going to be a special island of enchanting entertainment.
Bartlett Sher's surprisingly innovative yet entirely natural direction makes this a truly majestic revival. Sher successfully shakes and stirs a credible concoction with handsome Brazilian baritone
Paulo Szot opposite Broadway's serious musical "It Girl"
Kelli O'Hara; together, they make an attractive, completely credible pairing. In his stirring portrayal of an evolved expat, Szot succeeded in eliciting genuine tears and chills (from me) as he realizes Nellie's rejection in singing "This Nearly Was Mine."
There are still plenty of great lessons to be learned from
South Pacific, which remains a groundbreaking and entertaining landmark musical.
2 - Dreamgirls (Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA)
Tempting fate by returning once more to the role that made her a star over a generation ago,
Jennifer Holliday succeeded in proving yet again that she is the quintessential Effie Melody White. In last summer's Atlanta revival of
Dreamgirls, the incomparable Holliday seemed to relish further substantiating that she and Effie are not going to take a backseat to anyone. In a glorious and absolutely thrilling performance, not only did Jennifer Holliday triumphantly reclaim the mantle of Effie Melody White, but she reigned supreme. While Holliday alone would have made this
Dreamgirls dazzle, she was not alone in providing some truly magical and electrifying performances. In fact, the moment I realized this revival would be otherworldly was at the onset of “Steppin’ To The Bad Side” when the foursome of Curtis Taylor Jr. (a superb
David Jennings), C.C. White (
Destan Owens), James Thunder Early (a mostly pitch-perfect
Eugene Fleming) and Wayne (
James Harkness) sent the first, palpable jolt of energized lightning ricocheting through the receptive audience, thanks in part due to
Kevyn Morrow’s supercharged choreography.
With an audience already overcome with pure unadulterated excitement, Holliday’s delivery of “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” became particularly potent on stage. Somehow, Holliday pulled this incredible outpouring of heartbroken anguish from the deepest, innermost recesses of her very being and spewed it forth in as chilling a show-stopping performance as I have ever seen. For me, seeing this
Dreamgirls was a chance to once again witness one of the greatest live theatrical performances of all time and truly savor it.
1 - Gypsy (St. James Theatre, New York, NY)
Gangway world, get off of my superlatives! Suddenly, highfalutin words like "excellent," "superb" and "top-notch" just don't seem sufficient enough to adequately describe the unique experience of seeing the incredible
Arthur Laurents-helmed revival of
Gypsy now playing Broadway once again. Never have I enjoyed myself more or been so thoroughly entertained by a Rialto musical experience
ever. This is most definitely a performance for the ages. To see it is to witness theatrical history being made.
The beauty of this fully-realized Broadway revival is that every breathtaking performance from start to finish matches that offered by the astonishing
Patti LuPone, who makes her Rose at once sympathetic, conniving, sexy, funny, tragic and repulsive all at the same time. Add to that poignant portrayals -- the stunning metamorphosis of Louise offered by
Laura Benanti in her best performance yet, and the completely credible, quiet dignity in
Boyd Gaines' sympathetic take on Herbie -- and you get a classic musical the way it was truly intended to be seen.
What were the best revivals of musicals
you saw over the past year? I invite you to join the conversation by sharing your theatre experiences with me.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 27, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2007-08: Best Special Theatrical Events (May 24, 2008)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2007-08 (May 23, 2008)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2007-08 Theatre Season (May 22, 2008)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Top Ten Of The Year (June 4, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Musicals (May 22, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best New Plays (May 21, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Musicals (May 18, 2007)
SOB's Best Of 2006-07: Best Revivals Of Plays (May 16, 2007)
The SOB Five "Worst" Of 2006-07 (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best & Worst Of 2006-07 Theatre Season (May 14, 2007)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #1 - Theater Of The New Ear (May 30, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #2 – Guys And Dolls (May 26, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #3 – Hedda Gabler (May 25, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #4 – A Blameless Life (May 24, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #5 – Reeling (May 23, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #6 – “MASTER HAROLD”…And The Boys (May 21, 2006)
SOB’s Best of 2005-06: #7 – Love Song (May 19, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #8 - Billy Elliot The Musical (May 18, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #9 - The Well-Appointed Room (May 17, 2006)
SOB's Best of 2005-06: #10 - Sweeney Todd (May 15, 2006)
SOB's Best and Worst of 2005-06 Theatre Season (May 12, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2004-05 (May 26, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2003-04 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2002-03 (May 25, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2001-02 (May 24, 2006)
Flashback: Best of 2000-01 (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Dreamgirls, Gypsy, Jennifer Holliday, Musical, Nine, Patti LuPone, Revival, SOB's Best of 2007-08, South Pacific, Sunday In The Park With George
Why Grease Was The Word This Morning...If you were like me, you may have wondered whether the
Tony Nominating Committee had blinders on or a different set of glasses altogether when the current revival of
Grease was on the lips of those announcing this year's nominees in the otherwise rarefied category of Best Revival of a Musical.
Earlier this morning, it was announced that
Grease was nominated alongside such breathtaking and deserving efforts as
Gypsy ,
South Pacific and
Sunday In The Park With George.
As it turns out, the nominating committee had no choice.
Thanks to one of my in-the-know friends, who is far more knowledgable than I, I now know that if there is an insufficient number of candidates -- or just
barely enough -- to fill out the obligatory number of spots in any particular category, then
all candidates in that category
must be nominated.
Thankfully, that usually matters only in a very few categories.
But this year, since only four revivals of musicals were produced, all four are nominated regardless of merit. I've been told that this is done so that the commercial theatre won't be embarrassed by the impression that there's an insufficient number of quality shows.
Instead, however, it results in shows of dubious quality being nominated. But since those are the rules adopted by the Administration Committee by which the Tony Nominating Committee must abide, we can't blame the latter group. Yet it's an arcane rule that diminishes the import and integrity of the process itself, not to mention the awards and the more distinguished nominees.
Thus, we get a
Grease stain to further sully the reputation and honor of theatre's most prestigious awards.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:And The Tony Nominees Go To... (May 13, 2008)
Labels: Best Revivals of Musicals, Broadway, Grease, Gypsy, Musical, Revival, South Pacific, Sunday In The Park With George, Tony Awards, Tony Nominations, Tony Rules
Saturday Afternoon In Studio 54 With Bad SeatsRegular readers
will know that when it comes to theatre seats, I prefer to be up close and personal with the stage, so when it comes to buying tickets, I'm usually pleased when an opportunity to purchase Row B seats pop up.
Dear readers will also recall that I offered a
very favorable review of the Broadway revival of
Sunday In The Park With George.
Great show.
Pity about the seats.
When I arrived at
Studio 54 a week ago Saturday, I had that rush of adreneline I get when the usher directs me to the front of the theatre. But when my party of three reached our seats in Row B (seats 7, 9 and 11), we realized that two of the three of us were literally outside the sightlines for the left hand side of the stage. Never mind that we paid
exactly the same price as those with prime center orchestra seats.
There was so much jostling and complaining --
by the people in seats B 3 and 5 -- that they eventually got reseated in the center. Since all this occurred literally right before the show began, the three of us had little choice but to stay put. However, we each moved over two positions.
Now, I realize that the
Roundabout Theatre Company is a not-for-profit operation, but to charge the
same price for these terrible seats and
without any warning that the view is obstructed is just this side of criminal.
So,
caveat emptor to anyone who's purchasing tickets to this wonderful show. If you're offered seats near the front on the sides, either ask what discount you'll receive or flatly refuse. Otherwise, you'll walk away feeling as cheated as I did.
And that's no Sunday in the park!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Sunday In The Park With George (The SOB Review) (February 22, 2008)
Ever Had A Front Row Seat? (October 1, 2008)
Labels: Broadway, Roundabout Theatre, Studio 54, Sunday In The Park With George, Theatre Seating
Did Critics Offer Praise At New Sunday Revival?Last evening, director
Sam Buntrock's British import revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine's musical
Sunday In The Park With George opened at
Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54. The cast of the musical includes
Daniel Evans as George/George,
Jenna Russell as Dot/Marie,
Michael Cumpsty,
Jessica Molaskey,
Mary Beth Peil,
Ed Dixon,
Anne L. Nathan and
Alexander Gemignani.
After having earned
five Olivier Awards exactly a year ago last Monday, were Broadway critics similarly impressed with the show? The answer is a qualified "yes."
Positively gushing in her four-star review,
USA Today's
Elysa Gardner lauds: "[Y]oung British director/animator Sam Buntrock has managed to use technology to enhance the bittersweet beauty of one of that era's most substantive musicals...The superb Daniel Evans makes clear the generational distinctions between the Georges while linking their obsessive, narcissistic tendencies, and making them sympathetic nonetheless. Jenna Russell, a sassy, sensual Dot, is funny, touching and completely convincing as the 98-year-old but still-wily Marie. Buntrock also culls lovely supporting performances from Michael Cumpsty, Jessica Molaskey, Mary Beth Peil and others."
Proclaiming the show "an experience to be savored,"
David Rooney of
Variety sings
Sunday's praises: "Daniel Evans brings moving intensity and a febrile punctiliousness that's almost painful to watch as both 19th-century French Neo-Impressionist painter
Georges Seurat and his great-grandson George, a contemporary American multimedia artist. As his aptly named mistress, Dot, and later as her elderly emigre daughter Marie, Jenna Russell is incandescent....From the first flashes of light that accompany Sondheim's opening chords -- as a charcoal stroke slashes the back wall of designer
David Farley's ingenious blank-canvas, skewed-perspective set and details are rapidly sketched in by
Timothy Bird's
CGI projections -- there's an absolute assurance and thrilling synthesis of creative vision in evidence here."
Labeling this an "elegantly acted, directed and designed revival,"
Joe Dziemianowicz of New York's
Daily News is similarly enthused: "The excellent Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell reprise their West End roles. Evans brings fiery intensity to each George, but is never mannered. As Dot, Seurat's muse and mistress, and her daughter Marie, Russell draws you in with radiant warmth....Buntrock, a young British up-and-comer, isn't just concerned with 'Gee whiz' effects. His sharp and graceful staging awakens the beauty in the exhilarating score and makes weaknesses in the story -- Act II restates what's already been said in Act I -- fade."
Deeming the production a "glorious revival,"
The New YorkTimes'
Ben Brantley offers a positive review: "The great gift of this production, first staged in London two years ago, is its quiet insistence that looking is the art by which all people shape their lives. As a consequence, a familiar show shimmers with a new humanity and clarity that make theatergoers see it with virgin eyes. And while
Sunday remains a lopsided piece -- pairing a near-perfect, self-contained first act with a lumpier, less assured second half -- this production goes further than any I’ve seen in justifying the second act’s existence.... And Mr. Buntrock’s
Sunday, which also stars a charming Jenna Russell as Dot, has the same intimacy it possessed when I saw an earlier version at the tiny
Menier Chocolate Factory in London in 2005."
Initiating her review with a reassuring, "Fear not. It's still magic,"
Newsday's
Linda Winer offers a mostly favorable assessment: "Whatever the differences -- a few even better, a few not -- this new
Sunday is heart-thumpingly true to the mother lode....The result is a work of art about the making of art, an intimate piece of effortless musical audacity -- and a great bittersweet love story -- that remains among the peak theater experiences of my life....Ultimately, this is nothing less than an unpretentious art-history lesson, a thoughtfully conservative message about the need for order in art. It is also a close-to-the-bone consideration of art's toll on a human being, an inspirational message about the need for people to connect and to move on."
Urging readers to take in the show's "unmissably innovative piece of musical staging,"
New York Post's
Clive Barnes offers three stars: "The results, built into the designs by David Farley and the lighting by
Ken Billington, and based on pointillist Georges Seurat's iconic painting, "
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte," is one of the most visually amazing shows ever to reach Broadway. So far as geek wizardry goes, Buntrock and his team of animators, led by Timothy Bird, have possibly reinvented the Broadway wheel.... So far, so good. Then almost total collapse. The second act -- set in 1984 -- unfortunately finds George's great-grandson in the modish American art world, fighting for the patrons and subsidies to finance his own clearly pretentious style of visual art. The story now drifts off into highfalutin fatuity....Clever, but the act is also boring and pompous."
Allowing that this revival is "accomplished enough," Bloomberg's
John Simon delivers perhaps the most sour note: "The James Lapine book is extremely clever, Stephen Sondheim's score even more so. Unfortunately, clever and good are not quite identical.... I found the
original 1984 Broadway production, with scenery by
Tony Straiges and orchestrations by
Michael Starobin, slightly more compelling than this revival....My real problem, finally, is that the songs, though generally impressive, are more apt than appealing, more concert hall than Broadway. It is a musical with rather more mind than heart."
With all the critical raves, even
from me, could this
Sunday In The Park With George possibly be granted an extension beyond June 1? Stay tuned.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.
Related Stories:
Sunday In The Park With George (The SOB Review) (February 22, 2008)
Sunday Opens Thursday Night (February 21, 2008)
Show Deals: Breaking The Code (February 10, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna (May 7, 2007)
"Sunday" In Studio 54 With Roundabout (February 23, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Sunday At The Grosvenor House With Laurence (February 19, 2007)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Sunday in the Park With George Revival Opens in London's West End (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Critics' Capsule, Daniel Evans, James Lapine, Jenna Russell, Mary Beth Piel, Musical, Revival, Roundabout Theatre, Sam Buntrock, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday In The Park With George
Sunday In The Park With George (The SOB Review) – Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54, New York, NY
***1/2 (out of ****)Art isn't easy.
But in the hands of director
Sam Buntrock, an exquisite theatrical masterpiece literally comes to life, bit by dazzling bit, in the stunning revival of
Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine's
Sunday In The Park With George.
In the first Broadway revival of this classic, now playing in the
Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54 -- a less than optimum venue for the production, which I'll get into another time -- Buntrock's ingenious staging begins with a blank canvas, courtesy of
David Farley's colorless set design, effectively awash in white lighting by
Ken Billington.
But before long, the canvas takes on a life of its own, and it isn't simply because all of its inhabitants (played by a stellar cast) are suddenly abounding with vitality. Here, every minor detail is a major decision.
When Buntrock first staged this show in 2006 at London's tiny
Menier Chocolate Factory, necessity really became the show's mother of invention. Strapped for cash, Buntrock turned to
Tim Bird and
The Knifedge Creative Network to fill in the blanks with an enthralling, radiant projection design that is unequivocally the true star of this musical, making it a gorgeous work of art worthy of a great master.
And speaking of such a master,
Sunday In The Park With George is, of course, a fictionalized account of the painstaking, lonely artistic process undertaken by neo-impressionist
Georges-Pierre Seurat in creating his pointillistic painting "
Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte." While the photo above doesn't do it justice, Seurat relied on the right light to blend different colors together, placing perhaps little hues of blue among slight dabs of red to make it appear violet from afar.
The fictionalized aspects of this musical focus on George's interaction, or lack thereof, with each of the subjects in the painting.
Daniel Evans imbues his George with all the manic, single-minded discipline one would expect from a dedicated artist, whether it's his accentuated devotion to "Color And Light":
Red red red red
Red red orange
Red red orange
Orange pick up blue
Pick up red
Pick up orange
From the blue-green blue-green
Blue-green circle
On the violet diagonal
or his becoming so absorbed in the world he's creating that he prefers it to the real thing -- a place that includes his long-neglected mother (
Mary Beth Peil) and Dot, played by an astounding
Jenna Russell in an impish, yet heartbreaking performance as George's simple-minded and attention-starved muse.
The artist seemingly remains unmoved, even after learning that he's fathered Marie, a child bound for America. In fact, the moment that moved me the most was watching the clammy white, luminescent Piel sitting stoically in a haunting display of dignified sorrow as her son steals away her chance to know her only grandchild -- ironic given the incredibly enduring relationship between the George of Act Two and his own Grandmother Marie, who was the same baby that had been stolen away to America.
The first act climaxes with the entire production's pièce de résistance, an apex in which George puts it all together in a brilliant and touching finish as the actors recreate the famous work of art.
It may sound like I'm quibbling here, but the show's second act doesn't quite, well, connect. While still engrossing, it doesn't quite provide the intense kind of emotional tug I'd expected as Marie's grandson George faces many of the same challenges as his supposed great grandfather. Yet it's during this act that Sondheim's memorable score wins the day and eventually helps elevate it to a glorious conclusion.
As
noted at the beginning of the year,
Sunday In The Park With George was one of the top five stage productions I most eagerly anticipated for 2008. While I missed it in London, it was certainly well worth the wait to finally see what is unmistakably a great piece of art.
Sunday In The Park With George is scheduled to run at Studio 54 through June 1.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Sunday Opens Thursday Night (February 21, 2008)
Show Deals: Breaking The Code (February 10, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna (May 7, 2007)
"Sunday" In Studio 54 With Roundabout (February 23, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Sunday At The Grosvenor House With Laurence (February 19, 2007)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Sunday in the Park With George Revival Opens in London's West End (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Evans, James Lapine, Jenna Russell, Mary Beth Piel, Musical, Revival, Roundabout Theatre, Sam Buntrock, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday In The Park With George, The SOB Review
Sunday Opens Thursday NightThis evening, the first full-blown Broadway revival
Stephen Sondheim and
James Lapine's musical
Sunday In The Park With George opens at Roundabout Theatre Company's
Studio 54 under the direction of
Sam Buntrock.
It was Buntrock who in 2006 famously brought the tuner back to life in the fledgling little London theatre known as the
Menier Chocolate Factory, prior to it being whisked away to the West End. There, it dominated the Olivier Awards a year ago Monday, winning five awards, including for Outstanding Musical Production, Best Actor in a Musical (
Daniel Evans) and Best Actress in a Musical (
Jenna Russell).
Now, Buntrock has brought Evans and Russell stateside to cast their spell on the Great White Way's landscape in the first real revival of the beloved show about the labor of love and art.
The cast features many Broadway veterans like
Michael Cumpsty,
Jessica Molaskey,
Mary Beth Peil and
Ed Dixon, along with a couple who know their way around Sondheim revivals:
Anne L. Nathan (Emma Goldman in
Assassins),
Alexander Gemignani (John Hinkley in
Assassins and Beadle in
Sweeney Todd).
The
first Broadway production of
Sunday In The Park With George played the
Booth Theatre for a total of 604 performances, opening on May 2, 1984. Directed by Lapine, the show starred
Mandy Patinkin as George/George and
Bernadette Peters as Dot/Marie. While that
Sunday would fail to win any major Tony Awards (winning only Best Scenic Design for
Tony Straiges and Best Lighting Design for
Richard Nelson), losing out to the year's big winner
La Cage Aux Folles, it would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Here's a taste of irony. Menier is now restaging
La Cage Aux Folles in a sold-out run starring
Douglas Hodge, one of Russell's co-stars from the recent London hit revival of
Guys And Dolls. How's that for putting it together, bit by sweet delicious bit?
With all eyes now focused squarely on Studio 54, will Buntrock's magic be heralded anew? Find out tomorrow as I not only provide my critics' capsule, but also my own SOB Review.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Click here for tickets.Related Stories:Show Deals: Breaking The Code (February 10, 2008)
Looking Forward: The SOB Top Five (January 2, 2008)
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna (May 7, 2007)
"Sunday" In Studio 54 With Roundabout (February 23, 2007)
Is It Just Me, Or...(Part II) (February 21, 2007)
Sunday At The Grosvenor House With Laurence (February 19, 2007)
Which British Hits Will Be Broadway-Bound? (September 20, 2006)
Sunday in the Park With George Revival Opens in London's West End (May 23, 2006)
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Evans, James Lapine, Jenna Russell, Menier Chocolate Factory, Musical, Opening Night, Revival, Roundabout Theatre, Sam Buntrock, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday In The Park With George
Show Deals: Breaking The CodeSo you want to see a show? For less?
Here are some current deals -- and the best part is you don't have to wait in the TKTS line to take advantage of them:
The Show:
Grease (
Brooks Atkinson Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 35% with select select orchestra/front mezzanine seats priced at $71.50 per ticket for performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays (matinee only), Thursdays, Fridays and Sunday evenings.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
PLAY or call 212.307.4100 and use same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid on select orchestra and front mezzanine locations and subject to availability and prior sale; not valid on prior purchases; cannot be combined with other discounts or promotions. Not valid February 15-17, 2008 and Saturday matinees or evenings or Sunday matinees. This offer can be revoked at any time. Limit 8 tickets per order. No refunds or exchanges. Telephone and Internet orders are subject to standard service fees. All prices include a $1.50 facilities fee. Offer valid through Friday, March 14, 2008.
The Show:
Hairspray (
Neil Simon Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 40% on performances through April 13 with tickets for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays priced at $65 (orchestra/front mezzanine) and $55 (mid mezzanine). Tickets for Fridays, Saturdays (matinee only) and Sundays priced at $70 (orchestra/front mezzanine) and $65 (mid mezzanine).
The Code:
Click
here and use code
TMEB2 or call 212.307.4100 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer not valid for Saturday evening performances, February 15-17 or March 20-23. Offer subject to availability and prior sale. Applicable only to specified performance dates and times. Not valid on previously purchased tickets and may not be combined with any other offers. All sales final; no refunds or exchanges. Cast subject to change. Blackout dates may apply. Telephone/Internet orders subject to standard Ticketmaster service fees. Limit 8 tickets per order. Offer may be revoked at any time. Expires April 13, 2008.
The Show:
Is He Dead? (
Lyceum Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 50% off tickets, priced at $55 (orchestra), $45 (mezzanine) and $40 (balcony) for all performances.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
IHPBX55 or call 212.947.8844 and use same code.
The Fine Print:
All prices include a $1.50 facilities fee. Offer valid on select seat locations through March 16, 2008. Blackout dates may apply. Subject to availability and prior sale. Normal service charges apply to phone and Internet orders. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts and not valid on prior purchases. Offer may be revoked or modified at any time without notice. All sales final -- no refunds or exchanges.
The Show:
Rent (
Nederlander Theatre, Broadway)
The Deal:Save up to 50% with orchestra seats priced at $65 and front row mezzanine seats priced at $55.
The Code:Click
here and use code
PBILL08 or call 212.307.4100 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid for all performances except Saturday evenings from February 2, 2008-March 23, 2008. Tickets must be purchased by February 15, 2008. Limit 8 tickets per order. All sales are final -- no refunds or exchanges. Blackout dates may apply. Offer is subject to availability and prior sale. Not valid in combination with any other offers. Offer may be revoked at any time.
The Show:
Sunday In The Park With George (
Studio 54, Broadway)
The Deal:Save 40% on performances through February 20 with tickets priced $22.25-$73.25. Or save 30% on performances for February 22-April 27 with tickets priced at $25.75-$85.25.
The Code:
Click
here and use code
SPPBOL2 or call 212.719.1300 using same code.
The Fine Print:
Offer valid on select seating for performances through April 27, 2008. Must order by February 21, 2008. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount and is not applicable to previously purchased tickets. Limit six tickets per order. All sales are final. No refunds or exchanges. Offer subject to availability and includes a $1.25 facilities fee. Normal phone and Internet service charges apply. Offer may be modified or revoked at any time without notice.
Enjoy!
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Grease, Hairspray, Is He Dead?, Rent, Special Offers, Sunday In The Park With George, Ticket Prices
Looking Forward: The SOB Top FiveThe calendar year may have just begun, but Broadway theatregoers -- as well as those throughout the United States -- know that there's close to another five months left for the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.
While I'll wait until the season's close to list my "Best of" lists for the entire year in theatre, here's a preview of the top five shows I'm most looking forward to seeing in 2008:
Superior Donuts (Steppenwolf, Chicago, IL) - While you can expect
Tracy Letts' wildly successful
August: Osage County to make a strong run toward all the top theatrical awards come May and June, the latest work by the
Steppenwolf ensemble member will enjoy its world premiere in Chicago just four days after this year's Tony Awards.
With
Amy Morton directing, expect ticket sales for this play about a decrepit donut shop in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood to fly.
Yasen Peyankov, who received an "Honorable Mention" among my Singular Sensations of 2007, and
Jon Hill star.
Sunday In The Park With George (Studio 54, New York, NY) - The Olivier Award-winning West End hit finally transfers to Broadway and arguably becomes the year's most eagerly anticipated musical, old or new.
This first Great White Way revival for the
Stephen Sondheim/
James Lapine classic is directed by
Sam Buntrock and stars
Daniel Evans and
Jenna Russell, who reprise their Olivier Award-winning turns.
The Country Girl (Broadway theatre to be announced, New York, NY) - After long absences from the Great White Way, Academy Award-winning actors
Morgan Freeman and
Frances McDormand headline
Clifford Odets' classic 1950 play about a washed-up alcoholic actor seeking a return to the spotlight.
With
Mike Nichols at the helm and a cast that includes
Peter Gallagher, expect this to be one tough ticket once it begins in April.
Cry-Baby (Broadway theatre to be announced, New York, NY) - Can lightning strike twice on Broadway for a
John Waters-inspired musical? If the reception on the Left Coast is any indication, this could very well be the tuner to beat come Tony time.
With book by
Mark O'Donnell and
Thomas Meehan, direction from
Mark Brokaw, choreography by
Rob Ashford and a cast led by
Harriet Harris,
Cry-Baby has winner written all over it.
The show is set to also star
James Snyder and
Elizabeth Stanley, along with
Hairspray alums
Carly Jibson and
Chester Gregory II.
The Visit (Signature Theatre, Arlington, VA) -
Chita Rivera returns to her hometown in May to star in this "new"
John Kander/
Fred Ebb tuner.
Frank Galati directs, while
Ann Reinking provides the choreography.
Personally, I would go just about anywhere to see the incomparable Miss Rivera -- one of the stage's true living legends. So a return visit to Washington DC is officially in my travel plans.
What shows are you most looking forward to seeing this year? I invite you to provide your top picks wherever they may be.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Chicago, Cry-Baby, Steppenwolf, Sunday In The Park With George, Superior Donuts, The Country Girl, The Visit, Washington DC
Which Upcoming Broadway Musicals Will You See?Now that the 2007 Tony Awards are history, I'd like to cordially invite you to vote in my latest SOB Poll (found on the right-hand margin) for each of the the upcoming Broadway musicals -- already slated for the 2007-08 Theatrical Season -- that you plan to see.
Feel free to vote for as many of the ten selections of new musicals and revivals as you want. Your choices include:
After voting, feel free to share why each of the shows you've selected pique your interest.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:Grandage Guys And Dolls Set For Great White Way (June 6, 2007)
Not Unlucky: 13 Headed To Broadway (May 25, 2007)
Off-Broadway Hit Seeks Greater White Way Heights (May 23, 2007)
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna (May 7, 2007)
Max And Laura Go Together (March 26, 2007)
Fierstein To Musicalize Bette Davis' Fave Flick (March 21, 2007)
Mermaid Casting Anything But Little (March 20, 2007)
It's Official: Mullally Cast In Young Frankenstein (March 9, 2007)
Broadway Can-Du? (December 18, 2006)
Trevor Nunn's West End Porgy and Bess Will Transfer to Broadway (July 25, 2006)
Labels: 13, A Catered Affair, Broadway, Grease, Guys And Dolls, In The Heights, Musical, Porgy And Bess, SOB Poll, Sunday In The Park With George, The Little Mermaid, Xanadu, Young Frankenstein
Sunday In The Park With Daniel And Jenna
While I've yet to have the privilege of taking in a performance by Evans, I can tell you how captivating Russell can be -- I caught her as Sarah Brown opposite
Ewan McGregor in the exquisite
Michael Grandage-helmed West End revival of
Guys And Dolls. and
as I noted, she worked her magic.
Personally, this is the one Broadway revival I won't miss in the 2007-08 Theatrical Season.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Related Stories:
Labels: Broadway, Daniel Evans, Jenna Russell, London, Musical, Revival, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday In The Park With George, Transfer
"Sunday" In Studio 54 With Roundabout
Casting is yet to be announced, although
as I stated on Monday, one would hope that every consideration be given to allowing Olivier Award-winning actors
Daniel Evans and
Jenna Russell to reprise their West End performances on this side of the pond.
This will clearly be an eagerly anticipated musical for anyone serious about Broadway theatre. I'll keep you posted on the casting choices.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, First Word On New Show, London, Musical, Olivier Awards, Revival, Roundabout Theatre, Stephen Sondheim, Studio 54, Sunday In The Park With George
Sunday In The Museum Next To The Park With George
