Sunday In The Park With George at Kirkpatrick Theatre / Oklahoma City University

Oklahoma City University Presents Sondheim’s Pulitzer-Winning Sunday in the Park with George

Oklahoma City University presents Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, a musical about the art of making art, April 21-23 as the finale of its 71st season of award-winning opera and music theater.

Inspired by Georges Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande, the musical won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards. OCU’s mainstage production will feature a cast of 24, led by guest director/choreographer Joe Locarro, and a 19-piece pit orchestra under the baton of Matthew Mailman. Original costumes inspired by Seurat’s artwork are designed by Rachel Barnett.

Performances at the Wanda L. Bass School of Music are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with a 3 p.m. Sunday matinee on OCU’s historic Kirkpatrick stage, 2501 N. Blackwelder. Tickets ($15-30) are available from www.okcu.edu/tickets or 405.208.5227.

Frank Rich of The New York Times called Sunday in the Park with George “an audacious, haunting and, in its own intensely personal way, touching work” while the Pulitzer jury praised its exploration of “the costs and agonies of artistic creation…and finding strength and courage in a renewed connection with the past.”

“Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s stunning work merges past and present into poignant truths about life, love and the creation of art,” said Locarro, a veteran Broadway performer and award-winning director making his OCU debut. “Seurat's artistic ability thrives while his love diminishes. A century later, Seurat's descendant – also named George and also an artist – seeks the answer to his future in the past. I’m delighted to be working with OCU’s exceptionally talented students and staff to bring this masterpiece to life.”

An opening night dinner, featuring performances by OCU musicians, will be held 6:15 p.m. Friday in the Atrium of the Bass Music Center. Tickets ($25) in advance from 405.208.5227. A free director’s talk by Locarro will be held 45 minutes before curtain.

A veteran Broadway performer, Locarro was a member of the original companies of Ragtime, TheGoodbye Girl, Merlin and Paper Moon, and a cast member with Les Misérables (Enjolras) and Cats (Munkustrap). He worked with Jerome Robbins as the Tony understudy in the 1st National Tour of West SideStory and was featured as the title character in Jesus Christ Superstar. Last month, he returned to Broadway to perform in the Ragtime 25th Anniversary Benefit Concert, joining his original cast mates alongside Kelli O’Hara.

Locarro has directed theatre, film and television productions including three productions each of Ragtime and Les Misérables as well as Cabaret, Peter Pan, Jesus Christ Superstar, Pippin, Snoopy and two original music reviews.

His film and television directing credits include Finding Billy, The Search for Billy Elliot; the PBS series Vine Talk, starring Stanley Tucci; and Intelligence Squared Debates as well as the PBS specials A Tale of Two Cities in Concert, starring Michael York, and Remember Me, featuring Parsons Dance.

The Bass School of Music’s Oklahoma Opera & Music Theater Company is the nation’s oldest campus-based opera and music theater troupe. OCU has been honored with 11 National Opera Association production awards, and selected multiple times by Playbill for its “Big Ten” honor roll of top schools educating Broadway performers. For details, visit www.okcu.edu/music.

THE CAST:

Featuring Troy Freeman and Peter Quinn as George, Anette Barrios-Torres and Chrissa Weir as Dot/Marie, Hailey Palmer as Old Lady/Blair, Alyssa Crowley as Nurse/Harriett, Jackson Barnes as Jules/Alex, Kate Imes as Yvonne/Greenberg, Joseph Thor as Boatman/Dennis, Anna Elisabeth Nash as Celeste #1/Naomi, Rachel Schoenecker as Celeste #2/Elaine, Penny Barnett and Brighton Fries as Louise, David Eldridge as Franz/Billy, Sadie Koopman as Frieda/Betty, James Pendergast as Soldier/Lee Randolph, Landon Priess as Louis/Waiter, Grant Huneycutt as Mr.; and Olivia Reiter as Mrs./Curator of the Painting. The Ensemble: Lily Nowak, Grace McLean, and Evan Moore.