Sunday In The Park With George

“Sunday in the Park with George” offers a fictionalised glimpse into the life of painter Georges Seurat as he creates his masterpiece, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." This was a truly stunning production by the Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society performed at The Carriageworks Leeds. This captivating version brought Sondheim’s most complex musical to life. Inventiveness and real heart were central to this show. It takes courage, determination and a strong belief to tackle such a challenging piece of musical theatre, but led by the dynamic duo Anita Adams and Adam Boniface, this was certainly a great success. Together they fully exploited the many and varied talents within the cast and crew whose dedication and passion were evident throughout.

The execution of this production was quite simply on a professional level. Everyone was at the top of their game, from the actors and musicians to the technical and creative team.

Congratulations to Anita Adams and Matt Stirk for a daring set design that was well constructed, along with stage manager, Paul Myers, and Simon Futers, who kept things flowing smoothly backstage. No challenge is too great for lighting genius Dan Dainter and sound expert Chris Beardwell

Birdsong greeted the audience; a blank canvas before them, they were soon immersed in George’s world. There was elegance in the set’s simplicity, in the clean lines and, at times, translucent feel. Judith Smith and Matt Stirk had their work cut out with props, but everything fit the picture perfectly. The use of various picture frames and cleverly designed props kept us in the artist's world. These would appear and disappear smoothly before your eyes. The all-important hats featured nicely. The magnificent bursts of colour, starkly lit gallery, and ever-changing light patterns of the light machine punctuated Act Two. The modern art, including things like the hats, was a nice link to the past. Rachael Harvey rose to the challenge of costuming the show brilliantly. Costumes like the set offered a blank canvas with varying touches of colour looking like the artist's brush had started their creation. All captured the bustle and weight of 1880s fashion, yet with the addition of just the right hat, and coat bustle, bringing out the figures in Seurat's painting. These were contrasted strikingly with the cutting-edge modern art in Act 2 when we had moved on a hundred years. A very clever build-up of colour throughout the show was extremely effective.

Musical Director Adam Boniface, along with rehearsal pianist Lilian Sztankov, had certainly worked the singers hard to master Sondheim's complex melodies. He steered his singers confidently through Sondheim’s famously jagged lines and shifting meters. Along with exquisite orchestration and a magnificent orchestra, everything came together. Sondheim has always had a commitment to character and is known for his tactic of using songs to advance the plot. Here clear diction is crucial in a show of this kind, where the lyrics carry so much of the narrative and emotional weight. Leeds Gilbert and Sullivan Society have this nailed. The vocals and music in this production were outstanding.

Artistic Director Anita Adams treated the musical as Seurat did his painting: not as a story to be told, but rather a mosaic of fragments that needed to be brought together. Throughout the show there was a sense of building tension and growth with ever-changing groupings and clever use of frozen poignant tableaux. Her achievement was fusing the fragments into a powerful whole through the use of stylised movement, choreography and stillness. The performance of 'Sunday' at the end of Act 1 stands out as a highlight, deserving high praise for its ability to transport the audience completely into Seurat’s painting.

Jason Weightman gave a passionate performance as George with superb acting and incredible vocals. His was an intense, brooding title character, a convincing performance that really brought home to everyone that the painter was totally engrossed in the pursuit of his artistic vision. He had no time for anybody or anything else, obsessed with his painting, pushing away those closest to him, stabbing his dots on his work. In the first act he established Seurat's calm, fierce dedication to his newly invented style, a combination of optics and visual inspiration, portraying the artist's mixture of concentration and complete distraction from the world of human relations and pleasures. Then as a complete contrast, we were treated to an extremely diverse performance as George, the great-grandson of Seurat. With a striking manner, and physical stance, totally embracing the character desperately trying to find himself. An outstandingly moving performance from someone who clearly understood not only his character George but also someone who could master the music of Sondheim.

Lizzie Relins shone in the role of Dot. And was mesmerising to watch throughout. Her desire to be loved and valued was endearing, and her vocals were simply beautiful.

Matt Stirk as Jules gave a measured performance with just the right amount of disdainfulness for George’s work. He had great stage presence and had an aura of a successful artist.

Hayley Harris relished her role as the socialite wife Yvonne, who was unbearably snobbish with a combination of snootiness and kindness, demonstrating an underlying empathy.

Sam Watson was splendid as the unassuming and witless Baker Louis.

Janet Johnson as Marie brought deep emotion and feeling to her scenes.

Anne Futers was a convincing cantankerous old lady who dominated her long long-suffering nurse, nicely played by Emma Spindler.

Philip Reuben and Ruby Paechter were a great couple together and had a strong rapport. Franz and his wife Frieda were amusingly resentful and mischievous and added valuable lighter moments.

Also adding good humour to the show, the American tourists, Mr. George Harvey and Mrs. Rachael Harvey, worked well together. These two, who despite being enamoured with Paris’ pastries, were  insufferable, dumb, funny and impertinent. Yes, total philistines who just wanted to go back to America. These were good, strong comic caricatures.

Adding to the entertainment was Samuel Boobier along with his cardboard partner in crime as two rather peculiar but lovable soldiers, comically absurd. A great side side-by-side performance. The scenes with the two dizzy demoiselles, Celeste #1, Jane Ellis, and Celeste #2, Olivia Parr, were delightful.

Tom Daley gave a cynical portrayal of the Boatman. His was an intense performance, creating genuine tension in his confrontations with George.

Aurora Harris played the annoying young Louise with great humour. An exuberant performance. I’m assured that Maisie Daniels was equally as good when she performed.

Everyone gave memorable character portrayals: bringing the figures from Seurat’s famous painting to life and showing how they featured in his life was quite a challenge, but the talent here proved more than able.

Ensemble: Aly Howe, Daniela Simonato. Emma Stirk, Georgina Buffham, Joanne Cooke, Libby Watkins, Naomi Priest, Pat Kearney, Rosie Hallam, Sayun Ito, Siân Lomax, Will Gausden. All played their part and were a vital part of the story, creating special moments like the rowing scene, and certainly added vocally to the big musical numbers.

Plenty of fully realized named characters giving rounded performances were Elaine (Amy Ransome-Jones), Betty (Esther Lewis), Alex (Hannah Birch), Naomi (Kirsty Barnes), Harriet Pawling (Hannah Faulkner) Billy Webster (Daniel Parker-Smith), Charles Redmond (Matthew Oglesby), Bob Greenberg (Richard Pascoe), Dennis (Matthew Leakey), Blair Daniel's (Georgia Dennis), and Lee Randolph (Abbie Palmer).

Richard Naylor and his team ensured that the front of house ran smoothly and the programme was wonderful thanks to Olivia Parr and Hannah Faulkner. A real piece of art!

Congratulations to everyone involved in this lovingly created masterpiece of theatre which successfully captured the essence of Sondheim’s work. You could pay no better homage to the legacies of Sondheim and Seurat than to create such an emotional and touching experience.

 

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