Review: Fountain Hills Theater's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Is A Work of Order, Design, Tension, Balance, and Harmony

I'll never forget the first time I saw George Seurat's pointillist masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Standing in a room of the Art Institute of Chicago, singly dedicated to this magnum opus, I was in awe of the artist's creative genius and courage to break so dramatically from the methods of his Impressionist peers. On a more human level, I was inclined, as I expect many observers are, to wonder too about the characters and the lives that they were about living.

Thankfully, Stephen Sondheim shared this wonderment and turned his inspiration into a masterpiece of another order ~ SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Among its many honors, the musical, which opened on Broadway in 1984, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

It is fair to say that it is no walk in the park to mount this production, given the staging's technical requirements and complex blocking. It is an ambitious undertaking for which Fountain Hills Theater has more than met the challenge.

With superb direction by Damon J. Bolling and an extraordinary collaboration among the designers of set (Peter Hill and Ross Collins), light (Collins again), sound and projections (Todd Carrie), and music (Jennifer Whiting), the company's modest stage becomes a luminous canvas on which Seurat's characters come to life and, turn by turn, reveal the artist's moments of angst and ecstasy.

The cast in this production is glorious, and standing at its center is Kyle Bennett whose portrayal of Seurat is breathtaking. His powerhouse voice is like a fountain, pouring songs forth seemingly effortlessly. He is the brush that sweeps across this staging, and with each stroke gives definition to the objects of his eye, each of whom unfolds as distinct and colorful personas and whose peculiarities permeate the entire show.

Sondheim structured the play in two acts, setting the scenes a century apart. Act I focuses on Seurat's quest in 1884 to refine his artistic vision and his amour with his aptly named model, Dot (stunningly and poignantly played by Debra Qualtire). Love accedes to art, and Dot, carrying Seurat's child leaves Paris for America. In Act II, Dot's granddaughter Marie (Qualtire, again, marvelous!) and great-grandson George (Bennett, a non-stop engine of brilliance!) are preparing a perspective at the Art Institute on Seurat's art, featuring a light machine called "Chromolume #7". It is 1984, and the introduction of innovation in either art or technology is no less difficult than it was a hundred years earlier. Young George, like his ancestor, is seeking the center that holds and the connection that fulfills. It is every artist's dilemma. The resolution, at plays end, is emotionally powerful and moving.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is a magical mix of poignant moments, wit and whimsical imaginings, and drama. FHT's cast stirs this mix with precision, and the result is a blend very worth the tasting.

The grand accomplishment of director, cast, and crew is to have realized Seurat's ultimate formula for artistry: Order, Design, Tension, Balance, and Harmony!

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE continues its run at Fountain Hills Theater's Mainstage Too through November 22nd.

Photo credit to Fountain Hills Theater

To post a comment, you must register and login.