Composer

:

Stephen Sondheim

Genre

:

Musical Theatre

Style

:

Show/Musical

Compose Date

:

1984

Average_duration

:

74:36

Movement_count

:

22

Movement ....

Sunday in the Park with George is a musical composed by Stephen Sondheim with a book by James Lapine. The musical premiered on Broadway on May 2, 1984, at the Booth Theatre and ran for 604 performances. The show was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat. The plot of the musical revolves around the life of Georges Seurat, a French painter who is struggling to complete his masterpiece, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." The first act of the musical takes place in 1884 and follows Seurat as he works on the painting and interacts with the people in the park. The second act takes place in 1984 and follows Seurat's great-grandson, also named George, as he struggles to find his own artistic voice. The musical is divided into two movements, with the first act being called "1884" and the second act being called "1984." The first act is characterized by the use of pointillism, a painting technique that Seurat used in his work. The music is also characterized by a sense of order and structure, with many of the songs featuring repetitive melodies and rhythms. The second act is characterized by a more modern and experimental style of music, with Sondheim using a variety of musical genres to explore the themes of the show. The music in the second act is also more emotional and introspective, reflecting the struggles of the modern-day George as he tries to find his place in the world. Sunday in the Park with George premiered to critical acclaim, with many critics praising Sondheim's music and Lapine's book. The show won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985 and has since become a beloved classic of the musical theater canon.

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