"Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine creatively answer that query with the enchanting musical Sunday in the Park with George, currently playing at Shotgun Players on 1901 Ashby Ave. in Berkeley through Jan. 25. Based on George Pierre Seurat's painting Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (painted 1884-86), Sondheim and Lapine bring Seurat's characters gloriously to life. As they interact with one another, personalities and relationships emerge."
"I've never seen a musical that digs so deeply into the experience of being an artist and the creation process, wrote Director Susanna Martin in the show's program. The doubt, fear, rage and joy that go into making something. But then, it captures the impact that obsession has on those we love. Martin, along with Music Director David Moschler, found skilled actors and musicians more than capable of tackling Sondheim's intellectual and emotionally rich songs as well as Lapine's colorful characters."
"Kevin Singer (George) embodies the fictionalized version of Seurat, who puts his painting above everything else in his life. In Act II, that obsession transfers to his great grandson, also named George and played by Singer. Marah Sotello (Dot/Marie) amazes with her stunning voice and the depth she gives to Dot, the artist's model/lover, as well as George's 98-year-old grandmother Marie in Act II."
The production of Sunday in the Park with George runs at Shotgun Players, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, through Jan. 25. The musical, based on Seurat's Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, animates the painting's figures and traces relationships and personalities across Act I and a later 1984-set Act II. The piece probes the artist's creative process, revealing doubt, fear, rage and joy, and shows how obsession affects loved ones. Kevin Singer portrays George in both eras; Marah Sotello plays Dot/Marie. Nina Ball's set design and Madeline Berger's costumes receive particular praise. Tickets: 510-841-6500 ext.303; tickets.shotgunplayers.org.
Read at www.eastbaytimes.com
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