The Huntington Theatre Company Presents Sondheim's "Sunday In The Park With George" - A Picture Perfect Production - And An Absolute MUST SEE!!!

I mentioned last week what a fortuitous season it is in Boston for lovers of Stephen Sondheim's work. We are floating in some kind of Sondheim stratosphere.  The excellent production of "Company" continues to run at the Lyric through October 9th.

(See my review: Whiterhinoreport Review of Company)

And now the Huntington Theatre Company has opened its stunning production of "Sunday In The Park With George."

(SUPERLATIVE ALERT! - You are about to read one of the most gushing reviews I have ever written, for this show is near perfect.  Proceed with caution if you have a tendency toward overdosing on superlatives. The last time I was this elated in leaving a theater was when I exited the Richard Rogers Theatre after seeing a performance of "Hamilton.")

This Pulitzer Prize-winning musical was birthed as a result of collaboration between Sondheim and book writer, James Lapine.  The story takes a deep look at the "Art of making art," centering on the pointillist painter Georges Seurat in Act I and on his great-grandson, George, in Act II, one hundred years later.  Working in different mediums and different centuries, the two artists share not only a family tree, but the same struggles with blending passion for art with finding time for sustainable human interaction. The basis for the story is the bringing to life the characters portrayed in Seurat's masterpiece, "Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte."

         Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte

Georges Seurat (1884-1886)

Art Institute of Chicago

In the original Broadway production that opened in 1983, the role of George was created by the legendary Mandy Patinkin.  Standing on those broad shoulders, Adam Chanler-Berat brings his own coloration to the role at the Huntington, portraying a very human and vulnerable George. Likewise, the role of Dot, George's live-in model, assistant and mistress, was made iconic by Bernadette Peters.  Jenni Barber brings Dot to life in a way that is at least as indelible as that of Ms. Peters. (FYI - I saw the original production.  Loved it.  Love this Huntington version just as much!)

Adam Chanler-Berat and Jenni Barber 

Sunday in the Park with George

Huntington Theatre Company

Directed by Artistic Director Peter DuBois

Playing September 9 - October 16, 2016

Avenue of the Arts/BU Theatre.

Photo: Paul Marotta. 

The production values in this show are at of the highest possible level. Under the masterful direction of Huntington's Artistic Director, Peter DuBois, the creative team have performed miracles in bring Seurat's famous canvas to life.  They include an incredibly complex set design by Derek McLane, jaw-dropping costume magic by Robert Morgan, subtle lighting that befits the theme of the show by Christopher Akerlind, Sound Design by Jon Weston, and astounding Projections by Zachary G. Borovay.

The music in this production is equally praiseworthy.  Music Director Eric Stern leads an orchestra that beautifully interprets the Sondheim score with orchestrations and new Chromalume music by Michael Starobin. With the silky smooth choreographer by Daniel Pelzig, this show is a delight for the eye, for the ear, and for the soul.

Supporting the stellar work the two leads is a cast composed of some of the best actors working in New York and Boston. Among the familiar local faces who make their mark in this show are the following:

• Bobbie Steinbach is perfectly cast as George's mother, the Old Lady who sits with her Nurse by a tree in the painting.  She also does a turn as a punked-out keyboard player, Naomi, in Act II. Her duet with George, "Beautiful," is a touching moment.

Bobbie Steinbach and Adam Chanler-Berat

Huntington Theatre Company

Directed by Artistic Director Peter DuBois

Playing September 9 - October 16, 2016

Avenue of the Arts/BU Theatre.

Photo: Paul Marotta.

• Aimee Doherty can play any role.  In this musical, she is Yvonne, married to rival painter, Jules.  In Act II she portrays Blair Daniels, an art critic with a jaundiced eye.  She wears a bustle with such panache that they may come back in style!
• Patrick Varner is Franz, Coachman to Jules and Yvonne.  He is married to Frieda, but can't keep his eyes and hands and cane off of the Nurse who cares for George's mother.
• Nick Sulfaro plays Louis the Baker, who takes in Dot after she leaves George, although she is carrying the painter's child. Louis is hired by a gauche and rich American couple, who bring the Baker and Dot and their child, Marie, with them back to Charleston, South Carolina. This plot twist sets the stage for Act II and ties together the action  of the two centuries, for 98-year-old Marie joins her grandson, George, on stage as he unveils his latest work of art.
• The roles of Celeste #1 and Celeste #2 are played by local actors Morgan Kirner and Sarah Oakes Muirhead.
• The role of Louise, daughter of Jules and Yvonne, is shared by Bailey MacNeal and Margot Anderson-Song.
• Andrew O'Shanick portrays the role of the soldier with rigid rectitude.
• Other non-Boston actors are Amy Baker as the longsuffering Nurse and the rich American wife, Josh Breckenridge as the opinionated Jules, Todd A. Haron as the one-eyed and gimp-legged Boatman, Melody Butiu as Frieda, wife to Franz, but who is not opposed to something on the side with her employer, Jules.  In Act II, Ms. Butiu also plays Elaine, George's ex-wife and caretaker for the aged Marie. James Andrew Walsh is the rude and rich American, Jessica Kundla is the Woman with the baby carriage, and Jordan McLaughlin is the Man with the bicycle and the Hornplayer.

The Company
Sunday in the Park with George

Huntington Theatre Company

Directed by Artistic Director Peter DuBois

Playing September 9 - October 16, 2016

Avenue of the Arts/BU Theatre.

Photo: Paul Marotta. 

There are so many musical and dramatic highlights in this show that I can only mention a few.  As is almost always the case with a Sondheim musical, the harmonies and rhythms in the ensemble singing are sublime, especially in the several versions of "Sunday" and "It's Hot Up Here." Dot and George break our hearts with "We Do Not Belong Together in Act I, and once again in Act II with "Move On." Marie (Ms. Barber) has the audience in the palm of her hand with her rendition of "Children and Art." The two Georges philosophize over the intricacies of making art with "Finishing The Hat" in Act I and "Putting It Together" in Act II.

In "Color and Light," George and Dot sing about his unique approach to painting - taking dabs of two different colors that are next to one another on the color wheel, and placing them in close juxtaposition with one another on the canvas.  That unique technique enables that viewer of the painting to combine the two colors with his eyes and in his mind, rather than the painter having done the work on his palette.  In echoing this approach, Sondheim made a choice to blend Major keys with their relative Minor keys, allowing the hearer to blend the two sounds with his/her ear and mind. This effect can be felt and heard most clearly in the major third/minor third modulations in "Move On."

Enough already! This show is as close to perfection in every aspect as one could expect.  I sat mesmerized by the power of the many forms of artistry on display on the stage.  I laughed, I wept. The two dimensional characters on the canvas - and the artist who painted them - were transmogrified into flesh and blood individuals I came to know and to care about. It was a magical evening of theater.

I hope that you will be able to score a ticket to this remarkable display of color and light and sound before it closes on October 16th. I have already alerted several theater professional friends in NYC to book a trip to Boston to see this show.

Huntington Theatre Website

Enjoy!

Al