Review: SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE at Shotgun Players

In his opening remarks, Founding Artistic Director Patrick Dooley mentioned that Shotgun had  no right to produce Sondheim’s tome on the creation and dedication to art and its toll on the artist. Perhaps it was trepidation on tackling a show that won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards for design (and a nomination for Best Musical), numerous Drama Desk Awards, the 1991 Olivier Award for Best Musical, and the 2007 Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. To their great credit, their Sunday in the Park with George is a triumph in every aspect with nary a misstep to be discerned.

Sunday is the fictionalized account of pointillist painter George Seurat’s creation of his masterpiece A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and his great-grandson (also named George),  a frustrated multi-media artist. Act One is one of my favorites of Sondheim’s plays, focusing on the devotion and obsession of Seurat and his failure at a relationship with his longtime mistress Dot (Marah Sotelo). From Dot’s opening number complaining about being a model on a hot day ("Sunday in the Park with George"), through “Color and Light”, in which the two main character's opposing positions are delineated, to the cute “Dog Song” sung by George from the perspective of some dogs. Sondheim’s genius abounds.

As George works on the painting, we meet the park’s characters: a disgruntled boatman, two chatty shopgirls, George’s senile mother and her nurse, a snobbish fellow painter, his wife, and precocious daughter, among others. These people, who will be unwittingly captured in the masterpiece, become real people with adjoining backstories. The ensemble cast is marvelous here, filling the smallish stage space with a chorus of song and chatter.

Act Two is set in 1980's New York City, where George’s great-grandson and his grandmother Marie are presenting his latest light sculpture ("Chromolume #7). He’s just as obsessed with his work as his ancestor, even having ruined his marriage. His supporters are commercial art snobs, money men and sycophants. He sings of the troubles of producing art ("Putting It Together"), while Marie ruminates on what’s important in “"Children and Art".

The brilliance of the following scenes makes “Sunday in the Park with George’ so emotionally devastating. After Marie’s death, Young George travels to the park of Seurat’s painting and encounters Marie’s mother Dot. Her song "Move On", one of Sondheim’s greatest gems, speaks to both George’s, the one she knows and loves, and the great-grandson she never knew. She encourages them to both to forgive themselves, erase doubts about their choices, and move on. It’s as powerful a statement on the nature of artists you’ll see in theater.

Kevin Singers’ devotion to both George’s enhances his authenticity – blind to interrelation emotions, he’s trapped in his devotion to his art. Marah Sotelo balances George’s inaction with an intense and fiery desire. Be it as a Follie’s dancer, George’s lover, or a mother, she lives with her choices. Both have lovely voices and get superb support from a fine ensemble cast including  the always wonderful  Alex Rodriguez, Jill Slyter and Laura Domingo.

Every component of this production shines. Starting with David Möschler’s orchestrations, Madeline Berger’s 19th century Parisienne costumes, and award-winning Nina Ball’s beautiful set made up of movable pointillist panels and standup figures. The major themes of light and color are mastered by Sopha Craven who captures Seurat’s compulsion for the bright light of a Parisienne summer. All of this is coordinated by the outstanding direction of Susannah Martin.

Sunday in the Park with George continues through January 25th. For tickets go to shotgunplayers.org or by calling (510) 841-6500 ext. 303.

Photo credits: Robbie Sweeny