Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Sondheim’s singular SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE receives a starry, sparkling revival at City Center

• By drediman
• October 27, 2016
• No Comments

Annaleigh Ashford and Jake Gyllenhaal in “Sunday in the Park with George” at New York City Center

I recently had the privilege of being in the audience of New York City Center’s sparkling revival of Stephen Sondheim’s singular Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park with George, a musical inspired by the George Seurat and his monumental painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”. The short run (there were only a handful of performances) was a starry affair, led by Jake Gyllenhaal as George Seurat and Annaleigh Ashford as Dot, Seurat’s fictitious love interest. But really, the entire cast, up and down, was jam packed with theater luminaries.

Mr. Gyllenhaal – in excellent voice – exceeded my expectations in the title role. His portrayal was surprisingly compelling in a vulnerable, introverted way. Suffice to say, it’s a reconsideration of the role away from Mandy Patinkin’s brash and confident original. Mr. Gyllenhaal’s sensitive performance evoked the “every artist”, making the link between the two acts stronger (are both Georges indeed one and the same?). Indeed, in this staging, the second act did not feel like an after thought or coda to the first act, as it usually does, as much as a completion of it.

Ms. Ashford and the rest of the cast were glorious, as well. Ms. Ashford luckily downplayed the antics for which she’s known for to give a genuinely moving portrayal of Dot. Of the superlative company, I would have to single out Phylicia Rashad as George’s mother and Carmen Cusuck as Yvonne (interstingly, Ms. Cusack wonderfully played Dot in a production by the Chicago Shakespeare a few years back); both gave distinctive performances that made me see each of their bit roles in a new light.

The production, directed by Sarna Lapine, favored elegant simplicity over flashy staging, which allowed one to focus on the performances and the masterpiece of a score. It’s effectively straightforward work. Lastly, Sondheim’s shimmering score sounded magnificent under the baton of Chris Fenwick (Michael Starobin’s excellent orchestrations were very reminiscent of Jonathan Tunick’s original work).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Off-Broadway, Musical
New York City Center
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Closed