Sunday in the Park With George - London, New York, Now in Seattle

I wish I could see this! but it ending two days before I come home to seattle and is being replaced by grease. There is no justice.

---

No tour. At least that's what all the publicity says.

---

Sounds great. The most perfect show.

I saw this last night, or actually I saw the first Act last night. I have seen this show a couple of times before (and of course the video of Mandy and Bernadette from 1984), and while not my favorite piece of musical theater, I have enjoyed it (not everyone appreciates Sonheim). I was fascinated by how the computer generated scenery was integrated with the action on stage. But that action on stage? not so much. There are some fine voices, and George's character (Hugh Panaro) and his mother (Carol Swarbrick) were particularly well done. In previous renderings, I have felt moved by the story, music and acting. However, the sense of creating form from chaos and cacophony did not happen in this production, and since I ended up not really caring about any of the characters by the end of Act I, I was not inclined to stay for the second Act. Many in the audience seemed to be enjoying the first act, but there were several of us in line to leave the parking garage at 9:00.

Wishing the folks at Sunday a great opening tonight! Looking forward to seeing it again next week.

---

Just got back from the show. First thing I wanted to do when I got out was I wanted to get tickets to see it again.

The projections were breathtaking, but because of this, I missed out on some of the acting moments. It's one of those things that it seems you have to watch twice because there is so much to look at (in such a small space really) that you are bound to miss out on some things.

Hugh Panaro did not impress me during his stint as Bobby in "Company" at the 5th Ave, so I wasn't coming in expecting too much from him, but he actually was pretty good when he wasn't trying to channel Mandy (which, invariably is hard to do in any production of Sunday, I suppose). He seems to have this dichotomy between his head voice and his chest voice that I don't completely like either, but he did an admirable job, though I was afraid he was going to lose it a couple of times during "Putting it Together" (he messed up "Being Alive" when I saw him in "Company"). He does LOOK good as George in Act II, though.

Billie Wildrick I didn't like as Dot in Act I. She seemed to sing too sweetly and didn't seem to connect with Georges as much as she should have. I was comparing her a lot with Bernadette's portrayal a lot, so it may have clouded my judgment a little. But I loved her in the second act as Marie (it was cute that she gave Marie a little southern drawl, since her mother was taken to America). She did seem to get some of the rhythms of "Children And Art" off though.

I still teared up a little during "Sunday" and "Move On".

I am glad that Seattle did get this production (the entire production, as during the talkback after the show, almost everything was from the New York Production, and that the show is not going on tour due to having to adjust all the projections, which took a process of 10 days), and if you are in the Seattle area, make sure you catch it.

Now all the 5th Ave. needs to do is Merrily, Passion, and Anyone Can Whistle and we would have seen almost all the major Sondheim shows.

---