Roundabout to Stage 'Sunday in the Park' Next Season?

The Roundabout Theatre Company will most likely be bringing the hit Menier Chocolate Factory production of Sunday in the Park with George to Broadway next season, according to Variety.

The article states that the Roundabout - a frequent presenter of Stephen Sondheim's work - is "laying plans" for the transfer, which would be mounted at Studio 54, the current home of The Apple Tree.  Rehearsals would begin in December 2007, and Boyett Ostar (Coram Boy, The History Boys), who was among those who moved Sunday from the Menier to the West End, will likely produce. 

No casting has been announced.

The Menier production is currently nominated for six Olivier Awards, including nods for stars Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell. After playing a hit run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, it began performances on the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on May 13th, opened on May 23rd and ran through September 2nd, 2006.

Based on the pointillist masterpiece of Georges Seurat, Sunday in the Park with George, which features music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, tells two mirroring stories through the course of two acts. In the first, George (Daniel Evans) struggles to complete "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" while his mistress and model Dot (Jenna Russell) attempts to keep him emotionally connected to her. In the second, George's grandson of the same name (again Evans), who creates art works called chromolumes, experiences some of the same concerns as his predecessor.

The musical was directed by Sam Buntrock in London. The production featured an abridged second act and a high-tech physical production with projections by Timothy Bird and sets by David Farley.  Bird's animations featured characters from the Seurat painting moving around the set.

Originally directed by Lapine, Sunday in the Park with George premiered at Playwrights Horizons. Expanded from one act to two, it opened at Broadway's Booth Theatre in 1984 and ran for 604 performances. While losing the Tony Award for Best Musical, it picked up the Pulitzer Prize and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical. Original stars Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin were also both nominated for Tonys. Philip Quast and Maria Friedman starred in the 1990 London production.

For more information, visit www.menierchocolatefactory.com.