Overview
Sunday in the Park with George is an iconic Sondheim musical from the 1980s. It has a unique setting and soundtrack and is well worth the listen!
"Sunday in the Park with George" (Opening Number, Sunday in the Park with George
History
When and where the show premiered: Jul. 6 1983, Playwrights Horizons NYC
Awards and Theatrical Run
Playwrights Horizons, NYC
The Writers
Sunday in the Park with George was written by Stephen Sondheim (lyrics and music) and James Lapine (book).
About Sondheim
About Lapine
Plot and Music
Plot
Revolves around George (based on George Seurat) and his pursuit of painting his masterpiece, as well as his great grandson George who is “a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist.”
Who are the main characters
George Seurat/George and Dot/Marie are the leads - the actor who plays George Seurat in Act 1/1884 becomes George, his great-grandson, in 1984, while the actress who plays Seurat’s mistress and model in Act 1/1884 plays his elderly granddaughter in Act 2/1984
Settings
Set in two settings, Paris, 1884, and an art museum, 1984. This show is slightly unique in its setting, Act 1 revolves around the painter George Seurat’s life in 1884 then in Act 2 jumps forward to 100 years later to focus on his great-grandson in 1984.
Length
- Roughly 2 and a half hours
- 18 songs, at least in the OBC recording
Fun Facts
Inspired by
Sunday in the Park with George was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (painted 1884-1886). The character of George is named directly after the painter.
The Painting
