Sunday in the Park with George

Musical

Writers: James Lapine Stephen Sondheim

Overview

Show Information

Category
Musical
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1983
Genres
Drama
Settings
Multiple Settings
Time & Place
act one: paris, 1884, act two: 1984, an art museum
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Medium
Dancing
None
Ideal for
College/University, Community Theatre, Large Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Star Vehicle Female, Star Vehicle Male
Casting Notes
Mostly female cast
Includes adult, young adult, mature adult, child characters

Synopsis

Inspired by George Seurat’s magnificent painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s soaring musical is itself an artistic masterpiece. The musical begins with the story of George and his model and lover Dot. As George struggles to find his artistic voice, he becomes more and more distant from the one woman who truly sees him for who he really is. Meanwhile, the characters that inhabit George’s painting have lives unto themselves, which George captures with his paintbrush. A century later, George and Dot’s descendants, themselves struggling artists, grapple with the same issues of artistic ingenuity, and a public who just doesn’t understand.Through melodic and heartbreaking music, poetic lyrics, and quick, jaunty wit, Sunday in the Park with George reveals universal truths about the nature of art, love, and passion, with the breadth and depth of art’s most enduring masterpieces.

Lead Characters


Sunday in the Park with George guide sections