Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
#1Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/9/24 at 11:49pm
I found myself overwhelmed by emotion four times during the Axelrod Performing Arts Center’s second preview today of Sunday in the Park with George. The opening number introduces us to George and six ballet dancers each symbolizing a color from his palette—red, orange, blue, green, yellow and beige. It was a remarkable stage picture. I was also quite moved at the end of each act when Sunday comes alive with the entire ensemble. We Do Not Belong Together sung brilliantly by Talia Suskauer (Dot) and Graham Phillips (George) literally moved me to tears.
I also particularly liked the vocals of James C. Harris (Boatman/Charles) and Giuliana Augello (Celeste #1/ Elaine). Music Director/Conductor Jacob Yates directed the 12-piece orchestra which sounded incredible as they played from each side of the auditorium. Can you believe it? 12 pieces with a Harp!
I am glad that director/choreographer Eamon Foley got permission from Sondheim to work in the ballet dancers as I think they complimented the piece greatly. Recommended.
Lovely comfortable theater with easy plentiful parking. I sat in the first row B which was great. The stage is not high and there is at least 6 feet between row B and the stage.
Updated On: 3/9/24 at 11:49 PM
#2Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 9:50am
Thank you for this. It’s my favorite show and hoping I can make it out to NJ to catch this.
#3Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 10:53am
Axelrod has turned themselves into a nice professional theater company down the Jersey shore. Leaps better than anything Surflight is putting out now. Axelrod always did some solid community theater shows before they went professional. Their productions of Rent, Billy Elliott & West Side Story were outstanding.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#4Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 12:28pm
I go to the Shore a lot in the summer and didn't realize Axelrod existed (shame on me!) I know of Papermill Playhouse but not Axelrod. Will try to check this out one weekend this month! Thank you for sharing.
#5Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 12:42pm
Axel is excellent. Everyone is so nice. Matilda was excellent at the theatre. I’d rather drive there than Papermill (15 minutes) any day
#6Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 6:02pm
This is on TDF for 37 bucks in case anybody wants to go. I have my tickets. I’m also going to see Kate Baldwin in A little Night Music also in New Jersey. 27 bucks on TDF
#7Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 7:01pm
He got permission from Sondheim or his Estate?
#8Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 7:48pm
Who?
#9Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/10/24 at 8:28pm
ijay889: He got permission from Sondheim or his Estate?
Eamon Foley states that the ballet dancer idea was put in front of Sondheim. See 1 minute mark.
https://youtu.be/y-MvKazMwlc?feature=shared
chrishuyen
Broadway Legend Joined: 11/12/14
#10Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/11/24 at 12:30pm
Thanks for the review! I've been curious about this but I was a little dubious about the concept of combining dance with Sunday. I'm still debating whether or not to go since I live in NYC and don't have a car so it would be around 3 hours each way by transit, but it also seems like a really unique production.
#11Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/17/24 at 3:26am
Saw this tonight. Beautiful production. The ballet dancers mostly take up space. Graham Phillips as George sounds like Mandy Patinkin. Talia Suskauer as Dot stole the show for me. This theatre is in a Jewish community center and the auditorium feels like you are back in high school. Lots of parking in front. I heard a train riding through a couple of times during the performance so I guess there’s a train nearby. The 11 piece orchestra is on both sides of the audience. The stage is pretty bare except for some lights hanging upstage, and a few latters. Theres also a white curtain that is used for shadows. I’ve never seen a production of this musical before so i was happy to be there. The last revival was impossible to get tickets to.
#12Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 3:53pm
TheaterMania has a rave review for the production and leads:
https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-a-fresh-sunday-in-the-park-with-george-brims-with-color-and-light-in-new-jersey_1734364/
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#13Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 8:16pm
Graham Phillips was an absolutely smashing Georges in the Pasadena Playhouse production of SUNDAY a year ago. How thrilling to have someone so young (exactly Georges' real age as it turns out), and so precise in his delivery as he performs that score. I can't speak to this new staging, but I know Mr. Phillips is worth the price of admission wherever he performs this role.
Mickey3309
Swing Joined: 7/17/17
#14Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 8:20pmUpdated On: 3/18/24 at 08:20 PM
somecheapfrenchthing
Understudy Joined: 9/14/17
#15Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 8:21pmAdd me to the list of people who found this production to be bold and stunning! Sunday is one of my favorite musicals, so I was excited but unsure about a more conceptual production but WOW - the direction and the performances (especially Graham Phillips and Talia Suskauer) were phenomenal. The whole thing was wonderful - Color and Light I found to be especially compelling in this staging.
#16Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 8:25pm
it's a shame their productions only run for 3 weeks.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#17Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 8:57pm
I actually found the ballerinas to be a distraction. They really didn’t add much.
barcelona20
Broadway Star Joined: 1/19/08
#18Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 10:54pm
Saw it this past weekend. Thought it was stunning. From the lighting, to the dancers, and to the actors. Not a weak link in the cast. Leads were phenomenal. Hope this production can somehow be repeated elsewhere.
#19Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/18/24 at 11:02pm
It is stunning. It makes me want Little Dancer to come to Broadway. That musical was crafted to have dance in it which I bet makes a lot more sense.
Owen22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/24/11
#20Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/19/24 at 3:10pm
It's a beautiful production. I saw Graham play George last year at Pasadena Playhouse (in the Sarna Lapine production), and his performance has deepened since then (in between he played Nick in Virginia Woolf with Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto which may have had something to do with it). Was not, however, a fan of the recent Bway Elphaba who played Dot/Marie. However, I seemed to be in the minority (she did sing it well).
Eamon Foley is a director/choreographer to look out for!
#21Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/19/24 at 3:30pm
Owen22 said: "It's a beautiful production. I saw Graham play George last year at Pasadena Playhouse (in the Sarna Lapine production), and his performance has deepened since then (in between he played Nick in Virginia Woolf with Calista Flockhart and Zachary Quinto which may have had something to do with it). Was not, however, a fan of the recent Bway Elphaba who played Dot/Marie. However, I seemed to be in the minority (she did sing it well).
Eamon Foley is a director/choreographer to look out for!"
Not to nitpick, but the LA production of Virginia Woolf actually preceded the Pasadena Sunday by a year.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
#22Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/23/24 at 9:45pm
I saw Kate Baldwin in A little night music directed by Hunter Foster. She was excellent!! Her Send in the Clowns was glorious!! Cheap little community theatre production with only three musicians but it was fantastic. I would absolutely love for a big revival of this musical to come in soon.
#23Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/24/24 at 12:29am
Love, that is not Community Theater if it starred Kate Baldwin and was directed by Hunter Foster.
#24Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/24/24 at 1:27am
Okay well a cheap production at a theatre that normally does community theatre.
Owen22
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/24/11
#25Sunday in the Park with George at The Axelrod Performing Arts Center
Posted: 3/24/24 at 8:30am
ljay889 said: "Love, that is not Community Theater if it starred Kate Baldwin and was directed by Hunter Foster."
I thought Hunter Foster and his wife had their own theatre up in Syracuse...
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