To stage a musical inspired by the composition of a very large 19th century painting - Georges Seurat’s groundbreaking Sunday Afternoon on the Island of the Grand Jatte - in a space as intimate as the Menier Chocolate Factory may be a gamble but it is one that most definitely pays off.
This revival could of course never be staged on the same scale as the 1990 National Theatre production and there are some who will yearn for the bigger picture. However, director Sam Buntrock and a first class creative team and cast ensure that James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim’s work has the heart to always engage.
The two protagonists - Daniel Evans and Anna Jane Casey - both impress in their double roles, as artist and lover in Act I and then later as Seurat’s daughter and grandson. Initally one wonders if Evans has the presence to take on such a venture but his performance gathers strength. Indeed he is particularly fine in Act II, when the falseness of the modern art world leads George Jnr to seek inspiration from the past. Casey too is often outstanding, portraying the emotion of the piece with great tenderness. As Seurat’s neglected mother and art critic Blair Daniels, Gay Soper also deserves a special mention.
Set designer David Farley, Timothy Bird (projection) and Natasha Chivers and Mike Robertson (lighting) draw us in ever closer with their extremely clever and detailed use of moving background images and slides.
Musical director Caroline Humphris and a talented band do Jason Carr’s orchestrations proud for what is a much recommended production.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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