James Lapine directed this television adaptation of his acclaimed musical, which he created in collaboration with the great composer Stephen Sondheim. In the first act, artist Georges Seurat (Mandy Patinkin) is working on his latest painting with the woman he loves, Dot (Bernadette Peters), posing for him. The work is to become the impressionist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, and along with Dot, Georges interacts with the various people who happen through the park and become characters in his painting. In act two, Seurat's great grandson George (also played by Patinkin) and his grandmother Marie (also played by Peters) return to the place where Seurat had created his masterpiece 100 years earlier. George, a sculptor, is in dire need of inspiration, and the visit leads both him and Marie to ponder their ideas of what is art, and what is life. This performance of Sunday in the Park with George also features Charles Kimbrough, Barbara Byrne, and Brent Spiner (the latter before he gained fame as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
James Lapine's adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning 1984 musical is a rousing success. The innovative composer uses a somewhat apocryphal account of the life of 19th century French pointillist George Seurat (Mandy Patinkin) as a springboard for an exploration of the relationship of life and art. Sondheim, who has often been taken to task by critics for work deemed excessively cerebral for a Broadway musical, has chosen to flaunt that very quality here, as he celebrates the arduous process by which art is created. Seurat's passionate involvement with his mistress Dot (Bernadette Peters) is superseded by his even more intense obsession with his art, in particular the creation of the famed Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte. In the show's most impressive song, "Finishing the Hat," the artist registers his disconnection from humanity, explaining the detachment he requires to paint. When the composer gives him a great-grandson, also an artist, who is redeemed by embracing humanity, Sondheim is at his least convincing. Mandy Patinkin is inspired in this extremely demanding role, and Peters radiates warmth in a brilliant performance. The imaginative lighting design of Richard Nelson, the costumes of Patricia Zipprodt, and the special effects of Bran Ferren blend in a stunning stream of images under the direction of the gifted James Lapine. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
Barbara Byrne - Old Lady/Blair; Mary D'Arcy - Elaine; Dana Ivey - Yvonne/Naomi; Charles Kimbrough - Jules/Greenberg; Frank Kopyc - Mr./Publicist; Brent Spiner - Franz/Dennis; William Parry - Boatman/Redmond
Credit
John Lyons - Casting, Patricia Zipprodt - Costume Designer, James Lapine - Director, Jimmy B. Frazier - Editor, Stephen Sondheim - Composer (Music Score)
