SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Begins on Broadway

Ambassador Theatre Group's Broadway revival of the New York City Center production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday in the Park with George begins performances tonight!

Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (in his Broadway musical debut) and Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford will be joined by Tony Award nominee Brooks Ashmanskas, Jenni Barber, Tony Award nominee Phillip Boykin, Mattea Marie Conforti, Erin Davie, Claybourne Elder, Tony Award nominee Penny Fuller, Jordan Gelber, Tony Award winner Robert Sean Leonard, Liz McCartney, Tony Award winner Ruthie Ann Miles, Ashley Park, Jennifer Sanchez, David Turner, Max Chernin, MaryAnn Hu, Tony Award nominee Michael McElroy, Jaime Rosenstein, Julie Foldesi, and Andrew Kober.

As previously announced, Sunday in the Park with George will re-open the historic Hudson Theatre (139-141 West 44th Street) on Broadway this winter for a strictly limited 10-week engagement. Directed by Sarna Lapine, performances are set to begin tonight, February 11, 2017, ahead of a Thursday, February 23rd Opening Night, and will play through Sunday, April 23rd.

The creative team for Sunday in the Park with George features set design by Tony Award winner Beowulf Boritt, projection design by Tal Yarden, costume design by Tony Award winner Clint Ramos, lighting design by Tony Award winner Ken Billington, sound design by Tony Award nominee Kai Harada, co-projection design by Christopher Ash, hair and wig design by Cookie Jordan, make-up design by Joe Dulude II, music coordination by Tony Honor recipient Seymour Red Press, orchestrations by 2-time Tony Award winner Michael Starobin, production supervision by Tony honor recipient Peter Lawrence, casting by Carrie Gardner/Stephen Kopel, technical supervision by Hudson Theatrical Associates, general management by 101 Productions, Ltd., musical staging by Ann Yee, and music direction by Chris Fenwick.

Sondheim and Lapine's masterpiece follows painter Georges Seurat (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the months leading up to the completion of his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Consumed by his need to "finish the hat," Seurat alienates the French bourgeoisie, spurns his fellow artists, and neglects his lover Dot (Annaleigh Ashford), not realizing that his actions will reverberate over the next 100 years.

Sunday in the Park with George is produced on Broadway by Ambassador Theatre Group, Carole Shorenstein Hays, Caiola Productions, Jeffrey Finn, Jere Harris and Darren Deverna, J/K/R/S, Claire-Bridget Kenwright, LD Entertainment, Benjamin Lowy & Adrian Salpeter, Tulchin Bartner Productions, Jeanine Tesori, Riva Marker, in association with New York City Center, and Adam Speers - Executive Producer for ATG.

New York City Center (Arlene Shuler, President & CEO) has played a defining role in the cultural life of the city since 1943. This production of Sunday in the Park with George joins previous City Center transfers to Broadway including Chicago, celebrating its twentieth year, and the Tony Award-winning revival of Gypsy starring Patti LuPone. For nearly 25 years, City Center's Tony-honored Encores! series has been "an essential New York institution" (The New York Times). In 2013, City Center launched the Encores! Off-Center series, which features seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's innovative artists. Dance has also been integral to City Center's mission from the start and programs like the annual Fall for Dance Festival remain central to the theater's identity. Home to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, and a roster of renowned national and international companies, New York City Center was Manhattan's first performing arts center, founded with the mission of making the best in music, theater, and dance accessible to all audiences. That mission continues today through City Center's robust education and community engagement programs, which bring the performing arts to over 9,000 New York City students each year. Visit www.NYCityCenter.org.

Hudson Theatre, which played its last Broadway performance on April 20, 1968, has been undergoing a multi-million dollar project, restoring the landmark venue to its former glory as a Broadway playhouse. The venue is receiving significant front-of-house improvements to better serve its patrons, including all new state-of-the-art seating, Ambassador Lounge premium lounge service, and increased and improved ladies' washrooms. In addition, significant backstage and technical upgrades, including new and expanded dressing rooms, and new fly systems will transform the Hudson into a leading legitimate Broadway theater.

Situated just off Times Square in New York on 44th Street, between Millennium Broadway Hotel and The Premier Hotel, The Hudson Theatre opened on October 19, 1903 with a production of Cousin Kate starring Ethel Barrymore. Built by Henry B. Harris, a famous Broadway producer of that period, The Hudson Theatre is one of New York City's oldest Broadway showplaces. The 100-foot long lobby was the largest ever seen on Broadway at that time. Among the stars that have graced the Hudson's stage are Ethel Barrymore, Douglas Fairbanks, William Holden, Helen Hayes, Edward G. Robinson and Dorothy Gish. Barbara Stanwyck and Judith Anderson both made their debuts on its stage. On September 27, 1956 the first nationwide broadcast of "The Tonight Show" starring Steve Allen originated from The Hudson Theatre. It was granted landmark status for both its internal and external features in 1987.

Hudson Theatre is presented by Ambassador Theatre Group in association with Millennium Hotels and Resorts.