With Pointedly-Rendered 'Sunday in the Park with George,' Chicago Shakespeare Theater Paints a Masterpiece -- Chicago Theater Review

Theater Review

Sunday in the Park with George
a musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine
directed by Gary Griffin
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Thru November 11
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There are few musicals I’ve ever attended with greater anticipation of absolute delight than Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s current production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize winner from 1984, Sunday in the Park with George.

It isn’t just that Sunday… is one of my all-time favorite musicals and the one I like best from Sondheim, my favorite composer (excepting West Side Story, for which he wrote the lyrics, but not the music).

And it’s not simply that the show is a (fictional) dramatization of the creation of my all-time favorite painting—the Art Institute’s miraculous “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”—by one of my very favorite artists, Georges Seurat. Or that Sondheim and book writer James Lapine use Seurat’s pointillist masterpiece to explore the creative process—long a topic of fascination for me—on a more universal level (with “Finishing the Hat” being the greatest song ever written about artistic creation and the sacrifices that accompany it).

While I have seen productions of Sunday in the Park with George on five previous occasions—including on Broadway, as a concert rendition at Ravinia with musical luminaries Patti Lupone, Michael Cerveris and Audra MacDonald and in 2002 in Chicago Shakespeare’s Studio Theatre under the direction of Gary Griffin, who also helms this version and has become a nationally-renowned director—my expectations for this one were stoked well before seeing reviews labeling it “perfect” and “flawless.”

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren

As far as I’m concerned, the Chicago Shakespeare Theater could be renamed the Chicago Sondheim Theater, for I have never seen a play by the Bard there, but all of CST’s Griffin-directed musicals by the maestro: Pacific Overtures, Sunday…, A Little Night Music, Passion, Follies—which was fantastic last fall and just won a slew of Jeff Awards honoring the best of Chicago theater—and now Sunday again.

All of the previous Shakespeare/Sondheim productions were terrific, even better than their Broadway counterparts, which is why I was willing to spend considerably more than I typically do to see a show, and why I was so eagerly excited.

But unlike many occasions when extensive anticipation, acclaim and hype are met with a certain degree of letdown, if not outright disappointment, CST’s rendition of Sunday in the Park with George is every bit as good as I could have hoped and better than I’ve ever seen.

With sublime songs, compelling (if somewhat complex) themes, outstanding singing, impressive musicianship and inventive visuals, this production is about as artistically resplendent as theater gets.

Photo Credit: Liz Lauren

Of course, my opinion is abetted by my affinity for Seurat, his painting, Sondheim and questions of creative inspiration and sacrifice.

I know every lyric that was sung and have an appreciation for the way Sondheim masterfully mimics Seurat’s pointillist painting style in his score. Over time, I have even come to better appreciate the considerably lesser second act, which seems like something of an afterthought following the outright glorious first act.

And I still wish cheaper tickets could be had, although the Courtyard Theater was virtually full on a Tuesday night, so I can’t really blame CST for not offering discounts. (In the audience I noticed a few creative-types from other local theaters and I nearly bumped into Dennis De Young on the way to my seat.)

Shockingly, Sunday in the Park with George opens on a Sunday in a park with George(s) Seurat—wonderfully played and exquisitely sung by Broadway vet Jason Danieley—sketching his aptly named muse, model and girlfriend, Dot (a beguiling Carmen Cusack). At the very beginning, it sounded like Cusack was imbuing Dot with a southern accent for some strange reason, but this was a trivial quirk that didn’t persist nor detract.

Each song in Act I expands on George’s relationship with his art and Dot—with his priorities being in that order—while also weaving in the other characters who will be included (per Sondheim and Lapine’s imagination) in the finished painting.

With shrewd lyrical insight on what an artist—particularly a groundbreaking one like Seurat, and of course, he himself—faces both internally and externally, Sondheim introduces us to another, more traditional (and disdainful) artist, as well as various others (servants, soldiers, a boatman, even a couple of dogs) gathered on the La Grande Jatte for eternity. The act closing “Sunday” harmoniously arranges all the subjects in their spots on Seurat’s grand canvas, and is simply one of the most brilliant songs ever composed.

The 90-minute first act could really be a show unto itself, but Griffin and Danieley do a nice job of making Act 2—set 100 years after the first and revolving around Seurat’s great-grandson, also named George—seem not as clumsy as it sometimes does. And the second act songs themselves are still fantastic, including “It’s Hot Up Here,” “Putting It Together,” “Children and Art” and a reprise of “Sunday.”

All in all, it was a magnificent rendition of one of the best musicals ever written.

Tickets are hard to come by and thus not cheap; I haven’t seen any discounts offered on HotTix or Goldstar (though perhaps in the extension week from Nov. 6-11, things might loosen a bit). But if you want to treat yourself, make a 'point' of catching Chicago Shakespeare’s production of Sunday in the Park with George.

Like the painting itself, it’s nothing short of a masterpiece.

Sunday in Symphony Hall with Sondheim (but no piano)

Event Recap

Stephen Sondheim in conversation with Chris Jones
Chicago Tribune Literary Prize; part of Chicago Humanities Festival
Symphony Hall, Chicago
November 6, 2011

It's pretty much a given that Stephen Sondheim is the greatest living legend in the field of musical theater.

But you wouldn't get much of an argument from me--though I might cite Chuck Berry, Paul McCartney, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Bill Russell or Vin Scully--if you wanted to call him the greatest living legend in any field.

And while he was ostensibly receivng the Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for his work as a writer--of some of the most eloquent lyrics ever, as well as wonderful music--he is also one of the most articulate speakers I've ever heard.

So although his Q&A session with Tribune theater critic Chris Jones lasted just 45 minutes--about half the length of this public conversation in March 2010--it was still worth the trek down to Symphony Hall.

Given the setting, you'd have thought someone might have made a piano handy, in case the great composer wanted to expound on his answer to one of Jones' questions about his lyrics and shows.

The Tribune's Mark Caro gives a good recap of Sunday's conversation here; in which he cites two of the Sondheim's most interesting comments--about "Maria" and "A Weekend in the Country.").

If you still can, see Sondheim's Follies at Chicago Shakespeare Theater this weekend--he attended a performance last Sunday afternoon; assume he was pleased--and if not, his new collection of annotated lyrics (Look I Made A Hat) should make a great gift for yourself or anyone who loves musical theater.

Suffice it to say that even without the music, I enjoyed hearing a few words from a true master.

One of Life's Great 'Follies' - Theatre Review

Theatre Review

Follies
a musical by Stephen Sondheim
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre
Thru November 13
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From my perspective, the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre should be renamed the Chicago Sondheim Theatre. For I've yet to see any of the Bard's plays there, but have now seen all five of CST's wonderful, Gary Griffin-directed productions of classic Stephen Sondheim musicals.

I'm sure the theater does a great job with the works of Sir William, but with the only other show I've seen there being a play about another musical genius--Amadeus--the sublime renditons of Sondheim's Pacific Overtures, Sunday in the Park with George, A Little Night Music, Passion and now Follies have been absolute treats. To the point that I would gladly subscribe if CST wanted to present a Sondheim series.

In fact, Follies is one of the rare shows in Chicago in recent memory for which I've paid full price--$55 on Sunday night--and I feel lucky to have gotten a ticket.

Such is my regard for the venue's Sondheim productions--the current hit show is in the CST's large theater but all of his other musicals ran in the studio theater upstairs--that Follies was a "must-see" despite my having seen the show's current Broadway revival in August.

That version was filled with Tony winners--Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell--and other musical theater luminaries, including Elaine Paige, Danny Burstein and Ron Raines. It was quite good, with many outstanding indvidual performances on the various "pastiche" numbers--songs showcasing each of aging, former Follies girls who have gathered for a reunion--but as I wrote here (my review is contained within), the show felt like its parts were greater than its sum.

Certainly, there were many great showstopping performances at CST too, where several cast members had Broadway credits and/or impressive local resumes, but perhaps due to more intimate confines, the entire affair congealed a bit better.

Although Follies has an interesting conceit--former showgirls reuniting 30 years after Weismann's Follies (a la Ziegfield) had its last revue, and before their old theater gets wrecking balled--it works better (at least on the surface) as pure entertainment.

Literally without missing a beat, Sondheim wondrously weaves the diverse pastiche numbers--his mimicking of Gershwin and other early 20th century composers--with songs supporting the story of Sally/Buddy and Phyllis/Ben, who are married couples and former friends.

That storyline, filled with regret and recriminations, certainly has a fair amount of compelling pathos and songs that support it ("Buddy's Eyes," "The Right Girl," "The Road You Didn't Take).

But even on a third viewing of Follies--and second in 10 weeks--something about the romantic tale remains obtuse, especially amidst the pastiche musical pastries, particularly in giving way to Loveland, the show within the show in which the Buddy, Sally, Phyllis and Ben get their own pastiche numbers.

It's somewhat short-shrifting Sondheim, book writer James Goldman, Griffin and the exemplary cast to say one should avoid over analysis and just enjoy the songs, but even if you don't quite get it all, Follies remains tremendously entertaining, particularly in this stellar production.

Susan Moniz is quite good as Sally, delivering a chilling version of "Losing My Mind," while another longtime Chicago favorite, Hollis Resnik, sings "I'm Still Here" as well as Sondheim devotees could hope. While Caroline O'Connor doesn't imbue the role of Phyllis with the same glamour Jan Maxwell does on Broadway,  she certainly has adequate dramatic and vocal chops.

It seemed that both male leads--Robert Petkoff as Buddy and Brent Barrett as Ben--were, or at least looked, too young for their roles of men in their 50s, but they both gave strong performances. And as always, it was fun to see the legendary Mike Nussbaum, playing the elderly impresario Dimitri Weismann with typically wry panache.

While I don't know that I noted any overly crafty directorial choices by Griffin--such as with his minimalist take on Pacific Overtures--but the production used the Shakespeare's Courtyard Theatre well, with cast members routinely existing the stage through the auditorium aisles. Probably the best touch was having the orchestra on stage as a backdrop to all else going on. They sounded great and gave the proceedings a feel both classy and classic.

As much as I love Sondheim, I must admit that I often have some difficulty with his works in the moment I'm watching them. For as great as Follies was on Sunday night, I didn't leave the theater with quite the feeling of ebullience that more traditionally upbeat musicals (such as Mary Poppins, which I will be reviewing soon) provide.

But I think that's part of what makes Sondheim, and many of his works, including Follies, so great. Rather than being--at least by the finale--joyously crowd-pleasing, his shows often have a pervading melancholy or darkness that can be discomfiting. But outstanding works of art often involve an element of challenge, and while there is plenty in CST's rendition of Follies that's easily enjoyable, along with the exceptional score it's the troubling underbelly that makes this a musical worthy of deeper exploration.

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Dedicated Sondheim fans might be interested in his upcoming appearance at the Chicago Humanities Festival. I've already got my tickets.

For Shear (Macabre) Delight, Attend the Tale of Sweeney Todd -- Theater Review

Theater Review

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
A musical by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
Directed by Rachel Rockwell
Drury Lane Theatre, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Thru October 9, 2011
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By shear coincidence, on the same day that I posted a blog article saluting my hometown of Skokie and citing a couple notable natives among a relative lack thereof, I attended a superb performance of Sweeney Todd starring Broadway-trod Skokie scion Gregg Edelman in the title role.

Although I must confess to not having previously heard of Edelman, despite him being a fellow Niles North alumni and me an avid musical theater fan, he impressively has 15 Broadway shows--and 4 Tony nominations--to his credit. (I learned of his Skokie connection through the Niles North Wikipedia entry.)

That his co-star Liz McCartney (as Mrs. Lovett) has seven Broadway credits bespeaks the type of talent that Drury Lane Theatre now regularly showcases at its 971-seat venue in Oakbrook Terrace, the last of what once was a small chain.

In fact, with a cast that included a plethora of Chicagoland musical luminaries--many ensemble members were performers I've seen in leading roles--the size of the stage and set design were the only things that suggested this production wasn't Broadway caliber. This was the first local show I'd seen following four on the Great White Way (reviews contained in this post) and the performances and overall timbre seemed every bit as good.

Yes, catching a matinee accompanied by hundreds of attendees of the Senior Living Expo, taking place in the adjoining hall, meant too many crinkling plastic bags and undue conversation during the performance. But this only slightly diminished the raw power of Stephen Sondheim's masterful score and the macabre delight as Sweeney Todd--the former Benjamin Barker--exacts revenges on those who ruined his life, abetted by lovelorn Mrs. Lovett.

I enjoy so many of Sondheim's musicals to such an extent that it's hard to call any one his masterpiece. Ironically, though he is a wondrous composer, likely my favorite, his two very best shows are the ones for which he wrote only the lyrics: West Side Story and Gypsy. But of the many shows for which Sondheim wrote both music and lyrics, there is arguably none any better in sum than Sweeney Todd.

Which isn't to say that the darkness of the whole affair doesn't leave me a bit adrift somewhere near the end of Act 2. While I fully respect that Sondheim and book writer Hugh Wheeler chose not to end the score and narrative with any kind of uplift--such as Les Miserables would employ--I think it accounts for why I can't bestow a full @@@@@ on such a ravishing rendition. But that's really a 1/2@ quibble on a truly razor-fine affair.

In addition to outstanding acting and vocal performances by Edelman and McCartney, local stalwarts Kevin Gudahl, George Keating and Heidi Kettenring are superb as Judge Turpin, Pirelli and the Beggar Woman, respectively. William Travis Taylor sings Sondheim's sublime "Johanna" as well as one could hope and Emily Rohm embodies her beautifully. Young Jonah Rawitz is also notably good as Tobias Ragg.

As I referenced above, a slew of area actors with impressive leading-role resumes--including George Andrew Wolff, Larry Adams, Natalie Ford, David Girolmo, Cory Goodrich, Catherine Lord, Patrick Gagnon and James Rank--round out an incredibly deep cast. There literally wasn't a wrong note to be heard and the choral pieces, such as the opening "Ballad of Sweeney Todd," resounded with vilifying venom that rose well above the bag crinkling and chattering around me.

Under the direction of Rachel Rockwell--who after helming an exquisite Ragtime at the same venue last year seems to be on a Gary Griffin sort of career arc; I wouldn't be surprised to read of her directing Broadway productions fairly soon--if this isn't the best production of Sweeney Todd you'll ever see, or the best local musical production of 2011, it sure cuts it close.

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Drury Lane Oakbrook offers relatively affordable ticket prices to begin with--certainly compared to downtown Chicago or Broadway venues--but nice discounts available through TheaterMania.com (I took advantage of this one) and Goldstar shave off even more. To see a show this good for $25 is a real steal.

A Hat Trick of Quick Theater Reviews

Merrily We Roll Along
a musical by Stephen Sondheim
The Music Theatre Company
at the Karger Center, Highland Park, IL
Run Ended (saw on May 13)
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It distresses me to no end that among Americans under 50, Kim Kardashian undoubtedly has a higher Q Rating than Stephen Sondheim. I still don't know what she's ever done; he's simply the greatest composer and lyricist musical theater has ever known. This 1981 show was his notorious flop, but the score is still sumptuously sublime, with typical Sondheim sophistication in the music and lyrics. And the backward sequencing of the plot is an interesting narrative device. The cast was a bit young, but quite talented and the show rolled along quite merrily, indeed.

Photo Credit: Joel Moorman, Steppenwolf.org

The Hot L Baltimore
a play by Lanford Wilson
Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago
Thru May 29, 2011
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I liked the premise of this 1974 play by the recently-deceased Wilson: a bunch of social misfits demonstrating camaraderie, dignity and perseverance in the dying days of a once-grand Baltimore flophouse. The set design at Steppenwolf was fantastic and the '70s music that accompanied the show was a lot of fun. The acting by the large ensemble cast was excellent and the beautiful Kate Arrington shedding all her clothes at one point was quite, uh, eye-opening. But while it added up to a worthwhile show, the highly splintered focus (or lack thereof) was a bit hard to follow, rendering the Hot L Baltimore not wholeheartedly worth checking into.

Stage Kiss
a world premiere play by Sarah Ruhl
Goodman Theatre, Chicago
@@@1/2

This show was quite funny and therefore enjoyably entertaining. But in addition to dragging on way too long, it didn't seem to provide any shrewd insights or say much more than "actors often turn on-stage passion into off-stage romance, but it often winds up being a superficial, unsustainable relationship."

A Little Too Little Sondheim Music

Theatrical Concert Review

Sondheim: 80
Celebrating the 80th Birthday of Stephen Sondheim
Starring Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris
Ravinia Festival
Saturday, July 31, 2010
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(@@@@@ for the quality of what was performed; @@ for the extreme brevity)

After seeing and enjoying Shrek: The Musical on Thursday and Bon Jovi with Kid Rock on Friday, on Saturday night I went to a performance that promised a selection of songs a bit more sophisticated. Unfortunately, while the quality of what I heard was sublime, my enjoyment was quite constrained by an astonishing lack of quantity. Let's just say that as an opening act, Kid Rock played just as long as four Broadway legends and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra did at Ravinia in paying tribute to the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim.

Throughout the last decade, I have come to greatly appreciate the genius of Sondheim, who I consider the best living Broadway composer and lyricist, and probably the best ever. I have seen all of his major musicals at least once, attended three of Ravinia's five concert stagings of his works and even paid just to hear him speak at the Harris Theatre this past March.

So I had Saturday night's performance marked on my calendar for quite awhile. The four stars--Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Audra McDonald and Michael Cerveris--are all outstanding singers and actors, who I have seen & heard performing Sondheim and other shows at Ravinia and elsewhere. Although Ravinia's lawn ticket prices have risen quite a bit over the last few years, my sister and I considered the $25 well worth it (we even inquired about pavilion tickets, but weren't going to pony up $125, especially as we could see a good deal of the show from our spot on the lawn and by standing alongside the pavilion).

On the Ravinia website, it mentioned that Saturday's show was a "Gala Benefit Evening of the Women's Board" and those so inclined could have clicked around to buy benefactor tickets starting at $750 for inclusion in the Gala Dinner, but nowhere did it mention that the concert would be abbreviated. At the show, there were signs in the pavilion saying that there would be no intermission, but I still assumed there would be at least 90 minutes of music.

But not counting a rendition of the National Anthem that opened the evening--something I'd never heard at Ravinia--a total of 17 selections were performed, clocking in at 65 minutes. Appropriately, the Chicago Tribune's theater critic, Chris Jones, took Ravinia to task for the embarrassingly short show, followed-up by coverage of Ravinia's response, which I found to be piss-poor from a PR standpoint. The two pieces on Jones' blog have almost 300 combined comments from readers, including me, most of whom likewise slam Ravinia for not anyone their money's worth (whether one paid $25, $125, $750 or a whole lot more). 

The great shame of this is that what was performed sounded magnificent. From Cerveris doing "Finishing the Hat," (a great song from Sunday in the Park with George) to LuPone shining on Send in the Clowns and Everything's Coming Up Roses, and with wonderful work from McDonald and Hearn as well, I doubt many in the audience were disappointed with the quality of what they heard.

But never mind a second act--in which the selections derived from Ravinia's past Sondheim shows could have been augmented by many of his other phenomenal tunes, such as pieces from West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Into the Woods--there wasn't even an encore.

When I saw the evening's program book titled "A Little Sondheim Music" I had no idea I should take it so literally. Ravinia should be embarrassed for leaving so much good will on the table, even if it's a $50,000 table at their gala dinner. Send in the clowns, indeed.

(In case anyone's wondering, Sondheim himself was not there, even though he has attended past performances and even done pre-show talks.)