SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Continues The Rep’s 45th Season

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) will present one of the best musicals ever written, Sunday in the Park with George. With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine, the show will be performed on the Browning Mainstage of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, January 4 – 29, 2012.

Curtain times are Tuesday at 7 pm; Wednesday–Friday at 8 pm; selected Wednesday matinees at 1:30 pm; Saturday matinees at 5 pm; selected Saturday nights at 9 pm; Sunday matinees at 2 pm; and selected Sunday evenings at 7 pm.

Ticket prices start at just $16 (previews) and $19 (regular performances). To purchase, visit The Rep Box Office, located inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925, or visit The Rep’s Online Box Office at http://www.repstl.org.

Major sponsorship for this production is provided by Wells Fargo Advisors and Ann and Hugh Scott.

About the show, courtesy of The Rep: "Shimmering with love and light, this unique, inventive musical is one of the most acclaimed shows of our time. Inspired by the life and work of enigmatic 19th century impressionist painter Georges Seurat, this Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece explores the complexity of life and the art of understanding it. Stephen Sondheim’s soaring score and insightful lyrics intertwine with Seurat’s distinctive art to create a moving, poetic drama, dot by dot.

At a time when the scientific community was exploring issues of color and light, Seurat applied their theories to his painting style, which came to be referred to as Pointillism. Sondheim brilliantly echoes this sense of colored dots in the music of the piece, using staccato notes that meld into a whole song, capturing the mood of the story as well as the sense of the painting technique.

Sunday in the Park with George opened Off-Broadway in 1983 with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters in the lead roles. Reportedly, after seeing the show, Leonard Bernstein wrote to his friend Sondheim to commend him, calling the show "brilliant, deeply conceived, canny, magisterial and by far the most personal statement I’ve heard from you thus far." The show soon transferred to Broadway where it earned 10 Tony Award nominations, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama."

The Rep’s production of Sunday in the Park with George is directed by four-time Kevin Kline Award-winning director Rob Ruggiero (High).

The cast of Sunday in the Park with George at The Rep is Ron Bohmer (last seen in In The Next Room or the vibrator play) as George; Erin Davie as Dot and Marie; Meggie Cansler as Celeste #1 and Elaine; Nyssa Duchow as Young Woman in Park; Kari Ely (last seen in The Heidi Chronicles) as Nurse and Harriet Pawling; Mark Emerson as Louis and Billy Webster; Steve French as Boatman and Dennis; Abbey Friedmann as Louise; Chris Hietikko (last seen in Humble Boy) as Jules and Bob Greenberg; Charlie Ingram as Horn Player and Photographer; Jacob Lacopo as Boy Bathing and Waiter; Jamie LaVerdiere (last seen in You Can’t Take It With You) as Franz and Charles Redmond; Deanne Lorette (last seen in Witness for the Prosecution) as Yvonne and Naomi Eisen; Sean Montgomery as Soldier and Alex; Jordan Parente as Young Man and Waiter; Audrey Rae McHale as Celeste #2 and Party Guest; Whit Reichert (last seen in Kiss Me, Kate) as Mr. and Lee Randolph; Zoe Vonder Haar (last seen in Urinetown, the Musical) as Old Lady and Blair Daniels; and Rebecca Watson as Freida, Mrs. and Betty.

In addition to Ruggiero, the creative staff also includes Adrian W. Jones, set designer; Alejo Vietti, costume designer; John Lasiter, lighting designer; Michael Hooker, sound designer; F. Wade Russo, musical director; Ralph Perkins, choreographer; Champe Leary, stage manager; and Tony Dearing, assistant stage manager.

For more information about The Rep’s production of Sunday in the Park with George including a guide introducing the characters, plot and background on the play and more, visit The Rep’s comprehensive public website at http://www.repstl.org.

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