Review | ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ at the Pasadena Playhouse

Cast of Sunday in the Park with George (Photo – Jeff Lorch)

It was a privilege to see a very solid production of this grand musical in a comparatively intimate venue.

By Carol Edger Germain

Pasadena Playhouse pulled out all the stops to present “Sunday in the Park with George” as the first mainstage performance in their six-month- long salute to Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in 2021 .(“Into the Woods” preceded this production, presented in collaboration with the high school students and teachers of Pasadena Unified School District).

“Sunday in the Park with George” was directed by Sarna Lapine (the niece of James Lapine, who wrote the book of the musical and directed the original Broadway production). The story is inspired by Georges Seurat’s pointillist painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” which is familiar to nearly everyone due to its reproduction in countless formats both physically and on digital media. James Lapine and Sondheim portrayed Seurat (Graham Phillips) as a terse communicator due to his time-consuming obsession with his art. His lover and model, Dot (Krystina Alabado) shows her frustration at his lack of intimate connection with her outside her modeling duties.

The first act follows George and Dot from the studio to the island a number of times to paint additional characters as observed on their visits (the painting took two years, 1884-1886, to complete). We meet quite a few interesting characters as the painting progresses. The staging is perfect. We see the painting develop via projections on a gathered scrim hanging from the ceiling, and we faintly see the 14-piece orchestra behind the scrim. The characters parade, chat, and cavort across the rest of the stage. There is humor, and a story, and of course the painting progressively appearing, but the jewels of the play are the music and the lyrics, of course. By the end of the first act, we are quite satisfied with the saturation of music, the story has woven its threads to complete each character’s destiny, and the painting is complete. What could the second act add?

Liz Larsen and Graham Phillips (Photo – Jeff Lorch)

The second act jumps to 1984, showing Seurat’s imagined grandson dealing with his artistic struggles over his piece, “Chromolume #7,” at a gallery. The piece, represented by multiple lights, shimmers and dazzles on the stage. We meet various other imagined descendants of George and Dot and their associates, and a satisfyingly entertaining subplot unfolds.

Overall a very solid, quality production, plenty of talent from every actor and everyone on the associated teams, no weak links. Only one thing should be adjusted – at the end, after the actors have taken their bows, the orchestra is revealed and plays a few minutes longer. Most people were leaving, but the orchestra deserved its moment in the spotlight and the hearty applause from the remaining patrons. Perhaps if a few actors remained on stage, it would signal the audience that it wasn’t quite over.

The production also features Michael Manuel as Jules/Bob, Emily Tyra as Yvonne/Naomi, and Liz Larsen as Old Lady/Blair. Scenic design is by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Danny Erdberg and Ursula Kwong-Brown, projection design by Tal Yarden, and wig design by Christopher Enlow.

Juliana Sloan, Armand Akbari, Jenni Barber, and Trevor James in Sunday in the Park with George (Photo – Jeff Lorch)

Pasadena Playhouse
39 S. El Molino Avenue, Pasadena
Sunday In The Park With George
Through March 19
8:00 pm Tues through Friday; 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm Saturday; 2:00 pm and 7: pm Sunday
Tickets  at pasadenaplayhouse.org/tickets-events.