5th Avenue Theatre’s award-winning Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George opened this week in Seattle. Inspired by the life of French painter Georges Seurat, Sunday in the Park with George follows the painter’s creation of his masterpiece in a story that examines what an artist has left to give when he’s given everything to his art.
Stephen Sondheim’s exquisite musical about art, life, and what artists draw from both, Sunday in the Park with George, opens at The 5th Avenue Theatre on April 23rd. This rarely-seen but much-lauded musical features an all-star Seattle cast (led by Broadway actor Hugh Panaro in the leading role of George), and the astonishing scenic design and computer animation effects created by Sam Buntrock and designers Tim Bird and David Farley.
In many ways this is Sondheim’s most autobiographical work–he’s said as much. But this doesn’t refer to his sexual preference–neither of the Georges are gay. (Sondheim actually has a tendency to become upset at productions and directors who try to make a gay subtext explicit in his plays, like when Seattle’s Alice B. Theatre did their production of “Company” with a bi-sexual Bobby, and Sondheim came within an argument or two of suing them.)
Instead, the autobiographical element is all tied up in the question of what legacy do we leave. For gays who don’t choose adoption or other means of raising kids, it can seem that, like George says, they’re “just passing through” life, leaving nothing.
We have two real legacies in life, Children and Art, and this may help explain why so many great artists (especially in theater, naturally) have been gay–a desire to leave a legacy that’s not your offspring.
So–what do we leave to the world?
This will be the only production outside of New York and London to include the revival’s effects, which were created by the director’s animation studios over a year of painstaking effort. For the first time, George’s painting takes shape right before our eyes—each line, each element, even mistakes made and rubbed out before he resumes his work. It will also be the first production to combine these effects with the glorious sound of a full orchestra.
This production contains some of the most beautiful and stirring songs ever written by the composer, including “Putting It Together,” “Finishing the Hat,” “Move On,” and “Sunday.”
Also featured is a great leading man in Hugh Panaro who plays the two Georges. Panaro, one of Broadway’s most celebrated leading men, has been a featured performer in Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Martin Guerre, and was last seen here as Bobby in the 5th’s 2006’s production of Sondheim’s Company.
Sunday in the Park with George runs through May 10, 2009 and tickets are priced from just $22 – $81. For more information and tickets visit 5thavenue.org and as always there is no service charge when purchasing tickets in person at The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office.
The 5th Avenue Theatre also launched “Connecting the Dots,” a celebration of visual art in conjunction with “Sunday in the Park with George.”
Connecting the Dots is sponsoring a series of pre-show receptions at various galleries within walking distance of the Theatre. These events take place every Tuesday-Saturday through the run of the show from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, and offer audiences the relaxed experience of viewing contemporary art over wine and light snacks, as well as learning about how Seattle’s galleries interact with the larger artistic community.
For more details visit 5thavenue.org/dots.
