ARCHIVE REVIEW: The Times Record reviews "Sunday in the Park with George"

The following review appeared in the Thursday, July 7 edition of the Brunswick Times Record:

"Sunday in the Park with George" Offers a Feast for the Senses. If you've ever wanted to know more about a work of art, to be able to actually leap inside a painting or be privy to the artist's motive or thoughts while creating, you'll delight in a wish come true as part of the audience of Sunday in the Park with George, Heartwood Regional Theater company's last show of their 8th season.

The painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by George Seurat, on which this musical is based, is surprisingly large: over 10x6 feet. Part of the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, it spans its own wall in one of the Impressionist rooms. As a mid- west child, viewing it was the first time I encountered a painting I'd seen in a book. I stood stunned by its size, its brilliance: light and color seemingly bouncing off the wall. Those thousands of dots that create the forms, now known as pointillism, are only seen as you move in to see the artist's meticulous process, which took Seurat over two years to complete.

It is a work of art worth repeated reflection, and this play, Sunday in the Park with George has multiple aspects to explore Seurat, the landscape and figures in his painting, and the process of creating. And the Parker B. Poe Theater at Lincoln Academy offers a perfect venue for the play and the painting, which is actually one of the principal characters in the play. There is intimate and comfortable seating of a broad stage that allows projections of the painting to expand to honor its true proportions.

In this production Artistic Director, Griff Braley, has masterfully blended a company of both equity and community actors/ actresses whose flawless diction, characterizations, and singing are outstanding, noble, impressive. Together with Musical Director, Sean Fleming, and Vocal Director, Beth Preston, he has expertly guided this company to become one, as so many dots in Seurat's painting combine to create a unified image.

Highlight moments rest, of course, in the solos and duets of the exceptional principals, Dennis St. Pierre (George) and Alexandra Linn Desaulniers (Dot/Marie). Yet every ensemble piece echoes like the combined brilliance of Seurat's dots. "It's Hot Up Here," the opening of Act Two, is a standout performance by the company as they complain about the possibility of posing in the sun, in those bustles and suits, for over 100 years.

Stephen Sondheim's music and lyrics, with book by James Lapine, imagines one explanation for the story of the painting, as figures come to life and share their connections with George and each other. Here are stories of family, of our lives woven among our leisure, of passion and the continual struggles of communication as an artist. Yet throughout the play – like the dotted frame surrounding the actual painting – is a dialogue about ideas.

Though at times the play's dialogue can become ethereal; humor and humanity share the stage as well. Each character has lines that made me laugh. One of my favorites is: "I should have been an artist. I was never intended to work."

Sondheim's scores have been criticized for their dissonance and "unhummable tunes." However, he is a master of haunting moments as he conjures an edgy, wake up and feel this music experience, which compels us to concentrate, come again and gather more about what we missed the first time.

Letitia Munson and her production art team and projection operator, Chris Martin, create the painting as character with utmost respect for the artwork. There is also whimsy with wonderful moments of animation by Lacy Walton, Tara Bickford Hamrock and Alexander Joseph. This set actually comes alive! Silhouettes, texture, color and motion are just some of the qualities of its personality.

Costuming by Sue Ghoreyeb and her crew recreates the painting and period flawlessly, and the sound is precisely modulated for the Poe Theater, even in the back row, which is a surprisingly fine seat. This orchestra deserves a standing ovation, as well.

Sunday in the Park with George begins with Seurat talking about the brilliance of a blank page or canvas and naming the elements of art as if they're the names of love ones. He shares that this moment of beginning promises so many possibilities. Heartwood's production offers us this same promise and then transports us into a feast for our senses. What more can we ask of any art?

Maryli Tiemann is a resident of Brunswick.