Sunday in the Park with George

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: In the theatre SUNDAY baffled some, and enthralled others. The TV version (taped the week after the show closed in the Booth theatre where it played for 604 performances) is a beautiful transfer from stage to(small)screen.

The sensitive performances, the delicate orchestrations, Tony Staiges Tony Award winning scenery, James Lapine's Pulitzer prize winning writing and Stephen Sondheim's deceptively beautiful score all combine to make this something very special.

Perhaps a little too special: SUNDAY lost the 1984 Tony award to LA CAGE AUX FOLLES - an enjoyable yet conventional musical comedy (HELLO DOLLY! in drag) - and most of the initial reviews were unfavourable. But the show had its supporters and continued to attract audiences and even some of the critics who disliked the show at first later reversed or at least "clarified" their opinions.

Truth be told, SUNDAY is a rich piece and it is just not possible to penetrate all its layers in a single vieweing.

The DVD allows viewers a chance to study, to consider, and yes, even question both the show and the painting that inspired it. Is that really a baby carriage? Why a monkey? How is the flower in the hat made to have such a shimmering violet color?

The show contains sequences that do not in any way resemble standard musical theatre: The long number "The Day off" or even more startling, "It's Hot Up Here!" are in no way "standard" showtunes in 4/4 time. If anything, it is actually more like a chamber opera, but then labels are irrelevant.

SUNDAY tells a tale of artistic creation. The artist makes many sacrifices in his quest to "finish the hat." This DVD makes the case exceptionally well, with a fascinating commentary by Sondheim, Lapine, Peters and Patinkin. Yes, Mandy is a hyper person and he does try to dominate the proceedings but Sondheim corrects him on some facts -politely but firmly - and in spite of it all you sense that all four look back on their time creating the show as a very special time in their lives and remain enormously proud of their accomplishment.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking Score, Irritating Patinkin
Review: SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE was one of the first Sondheim collaborations with Lapine, and it remains a classic of the stage. Here you get the original cast including Many Patinkin and Bernadette Peters captured for a PBS GREAT PERFORMANCES. The camerawork is tight on them, and you see every nuance in their faces, and even get glimpses of what Mandy is drawing as he plays Seraut in the first act. Some people find this one hard to relate to, and of the three available on DVD that is probably true. PASSION and INTO THE WOODS deal with easier subject matter, and have more elaborate staging to work with. But this is still a handsome production filled with vituoso performances of classic songs such as "Tipping the Hat" and "Sunday". That it is a difficult musical shouldn't stop you by any means. Like a fine wine it grows on you and warms you the more you imbibe. The best part of the DVD is the commentary featuring both lead actors, Sondheim, and Lapine. Mandy Pantinkin seems to dominate the discussion, but all chime in to reveal what a personal labor of love it was for all involved. Sondheim's biggest revelation is that he originally intended George to be played by a BASS, and was skeptical of Mandy in the role! Bernadette Peters good-heartedly remembers all the cast member names, and recalls many backstage stories centered on the performance. Mandy seems most concerned with telling you about auditioning, and developing his "dog" voices. Lapine talks of how dialogue became songs and vice versa. It's a great track, and gives you insight into the show that will make you appreciate it that much more.And as a side note ... why all the problems with Act 2? "Move On", "Children and Art", and "Putting It Together" are some of the most moving songs and moments in the show. The idea that a love can last generations! Sigh! I think it's wonderful.

Rating:
Summary: A solid record of a brilliant show.
Review: Though perhaps the later Passion was a greater Sondheim-Lapine collaboration, their first work - Sunday in the Park with George - remains a sensitive and delicate piece that merits contemplation. It was preserved on video, and the preservation is generally solid. The film work generally manages to capture where the audience attention would best be, and in such a visual show it does as well as film may to transcribe the essence.

Sunday... is one of Sondheim's most pleasant scores for listening; it has a grace and majesty that mark it above much of his other work. It is fortunately combined with a witty book and excellent direction on Lapine's part. The central character of the first act, Georges Seurat, is portrayed with a certain distance and coldness by Mandy Patinkin that many consider off-putting; I think that this is more directorial bias than actor's intent, and Patinkin's work was indeed among his best here. His romantic counterpart Dot is played with elegance and style by Bernadette Peters, at the prime of her career and in fine acting style. The second act's George is a much more relatable character, and I think that Patinkin's portrayal here is much more likeable and enjoyable. His work in "Putting it Together" alone is a masterpiece; Patinkin truly took the task of making two roles work. Peters is understated, but well acted, until the finale where she is marvellous. And the actual finale will raise more questions than it answers...for the show is really all about whether we choose to create children or art...in other words, romantic love or artistic devotion? This is the question George must face, as Seurat faced it, and learn where his answer lies.

The ensemble parts are amazing. Fans can look for virtuoso performances by the likes of Brent Spiner and Charles Kimbrough. Everyone takes on the challenge of two different roles, two different worlds, and does so as gracefully and well as the leads. The result is a marvellous show that is sadly not produced all that much; the presence of the DVD record, though, makes up for it generously. It cannot be missed by any fan of serious musicals.