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7 Days Of THE LORD & THE MASTER: Day #2 - SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE & TELL ME ON A SUNDAY

By: Jun. 15, 2014
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Today we continue a special spotlight series highlighting the spectacular entertainment set to be presented this coming Monday, June 16, at Joe's Pub, THE LORD & THE MASTER: BROADWAYWORLD.COM SINGS THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & STEPHEN SONDHEIM, tickets available here, with a tribute to two musicals sharing a special theme, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and TELL ME ON A SUNDAY.

Sunday

"Take me to a park that's covered with trees / Tell me on a Sunday please," sings Emma, the British transplant haberdasher in New York who headlines Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black's one-woman musical TELL ME ON A SUNDAY in the endearing and enchanting title song. Presenting a delectable tour de force for willing and able actresses, TELL ME ON A SUNDAY originally premiered in 1979 at the yearly Sydmonton Festival, soon followed by a mega-hit album as well as a TV musical. Without question, it is a rare solo song cycle performance piece in the musical theatre canon, with few equals. Subsequently, TELL ME ON A SUNDAY was eventually expanded into a two-act piece byway of SONG & DANCE in 1982 and that iteration of the show premiered on the Great White Way in 1985, starring Bernadette Peters who won a Tony Award for her electric performance. Incidentally, Peters also appeared in another musical the season before by the other composer we are saluting in this countdown and in THE LORD & THE MASTER itself - yet, was it coincidence or fate? You decide.

Playing Broadway concurrently with SONG & DANCE was another musical with a pivotal scene and song based on the purportedly most relaxing day of any given week, Sunday, via Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. Depicting the French artist Georges Seurat and his struggles with achieving his artistic goals with the then-revolutionary painting technique known as pointillism, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE also was a unique musical in that the two acts occurred 100 years apart, with the first act set in 1886 when Seurat premiered his famous painting "A Sunday Afternoon On The Island Of La Grande Jatte", whereas the second act is set in the then-present day of 1984 and concerns itself with Georges's grandson, George, also an artist striving to "Break through to something new / Something of my own," as he sings in the score standout, "Move On".

While SONG & DANCE and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE could not be more different in their style, sound, mood, tone and overall effect, both entities present their creators functioning at their highest artistic level and crafting indelible musicals worth revisiting time and time again, decade after decade.

Additionally, it is very likely we shall hear songs from both of these major works by Sondheim and Lloyd Webber in Monday night's THE LORD & THE MASTER show, even if the show itself does actually occur on a Monday.

Tickets for THE LORD & THE MASTER: BROADWAYWORLD.COM SINGS ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & STEPHEN SONDHEIM are available here.

Let's take a look at some of the most delicious musical moments pertaining to TELL ME ON A SUNDAY/SONG & DANCE and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

First, see why Bernadette Peters won the Tony Award for SONG & DANCE via "Unexpected Song".

Next, Marti Webb recreates her original TELL ME ON A SUNDAY turn in 2013.

Now, see Denise Van Outen's take on "Tell Me On A Sunday".

After that, view the unforgettable "Sunday" sequence from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

Also, Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin revisit "Move On" in honor of Sondheim's 80th birthday.

As a special bonus, view the entire original production of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE.

So, what song from SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is your favorite of them all? What about TELL ME ON A SUNDAY? Furthermore, what song from either score would you like to hear most in THE LORD & THE MASTER? With songs this strong, any selection is a surefire recipe for success, especially with real-life musical theatre stars delivering them as only they can!

Tickets for THE LORD & THE MASTER: BROADWAYWORLD.COM SINGS ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER & STEPHEN SONDHEIM are available here.

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