Sunday in the Park with George

A major revival of Stephen Sondheim's musical Sunday in the Park with George in London starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford

NOTE: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this production has been postponed, with new dates to be announced.

The Georges Seurat painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, is the inspiration for this compelling musical fantasy which celebrates the art of creation and the creation of art. The first half of Sunday in the Park with George, set in 1884, sees the painting and its rich comic tapestry come to life in a world where, for artist Georges, art comes before love, before everything. In the second half, set in 1980s New York, we see the great grandson of Georges and his search for inspiration amongst the unforgiving world of contemporary art.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as 'Georges' and Annaleigh Ashford as 'Dot' / 'Marie' - who are both reprising their roles from the Broadway revival. Directed by Sarna Lapine.

This production transfers from New York's Broadway where it was seen at the Hudson Theatre (previewed from 11 February 2017, opened on 23 February 2017, and closed on 23 April 2017), which was based on the October 2016 New York City Center Concert which also starred Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.

Jake Gyllenhaal's West End stage credits include the role of 'Dennis' in Laurence Boswell's production of Kenneth Lonergan's play This Is Our Youth at the Garrick Theatre in 2002.

Stephen Sondheim's West End credits include Merrily We Roll Along, Follies, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, Saturday Night, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Pacific Overtures and the compilation musical Side by Side by Sondheim.

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London Premiere 1990

Previewed 5 March 1990, Opened 15 March 1990, Closed 16 June 1990 at the National Theatre's Lyttelton Theatre

The cast featured Philip Quast as 'George' and Maria Friedman as 'Dot' / 'Marie', with Barry Atkinson as 'Man playing the horn' / 'Chromolume Performer', Michael Attwell as 'Boatman' / 'Lee Randolph', Sheila Ballantine as 'Old Lady' / 'Blair Daniels', Di Botcher as 'Frieda' / 'Elaine', Clare Burt as 'Celeste 2' / 'Betty', Nicolas Colicos as 'Soldier' / 'Alex', Aneirin Huws as 'Louis' / 'Chromolume Performer', Megan Kelly as 'Celeste 1' / 'Chromolume Performer', Vivienne Martin as 'Mrs' / 'Billie Webster', Michael O'Connor as 'Franz' / 'Dennis', Nyree Dawn Porter as 'Yvonne' / 'Naomi Eisen', Gary Raymond as 'Jules' / 'Bob Greenburg', Ellen van Schuylenbruch as 'Woman looking for a glove' / 'Chromolume Performer', Nuala Willis as 'Nurse' / 'Harriet Pawling', and Matt Zimmerman as 'Mr' / 'Charles Redmond', along with Buffy Davis, Simon Fielder, Stephen Hanley and Erika Vincent. Ann Gosling and Naomi Kerbel shared the role of 'Louise', Antonia Boyd and Emily Sault shared the role of 'Dancing Girl', Keir Charles and Samuel Woodward shared the role of 'Boy Bather', the two roles of 'Small Boy Bathers' where played by either Marc Bellamy and Christopher Line, or by James Nyman and Marco Williamson.

Directed by Steven Pimlott with choreography by Aletta Collins, designs by Tom Cairns, lighting by Wolfgang Gobbel, sound by Mike Clayton and Paul Groothuis, and Chromolume #7 by Martin Duncan.

Unusually for the National Theatre, and partly due to the requirements of the set, this production was presented in a continuous run, rather than in repertory.

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West End London Premiere 2006

Previewed 18 November 2005, Opened 29 November 2005, Closed 12 March 2006 at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Previewed 13 May 2006, Opened 23 May 2006, Closed 2 September 2006 at the Wyndham's Theatre

The cast at the Menier Chocolate Factory featured Daniel Evans as 'George' and Anna-Jane Casey as 'Dot' / 'Marie', with Christopher Colley as 'Soldier' / 'Alex', Sarah French Ellis as 'Celeste 1' / 'Elaine', Simon Green as 'Juies' / 'Bob Greenberg', Kaisa Hammarlund as 'Celeste 2' / 'Silent Artist', Alasdair Harvey as 'Boatman' / 'Dennis', Steven Kynman as 'Franz' / 'Lee Randolph', Anna Lowe as 'Freida' / 'Betty', Mark McKerracher as 'Mr' / 'Charles Redmond', Ian McLarnon as 'Louis' / 'Billy Webster', Joanne Redman as 'Nurse' / 'Mrs' / 'Harriet Pawling', Liza Sadovy as 'Yvonne' / 'Naomi Eisen', and Gay Soper as 'Old Lady' / 'Blair Daniels'. Lauren Calpi and Natalie Paris shared the role of 'Louise'.

The West End cast at the Wyndham's Theatre featured Daniel Evans as 'George' and Jenna Russell as 'Dot' / 'Marie', with Christopher Colley as 'Soldier' / 'Alex', Sarah French Ellis as 'Celeste 1' / 'Elaine', Simon Green as 'Jules' / 'Bob Greenberg', Kaisa Hammarlund as 'Celeste 2' / 'Silent Artist', Alasdair Harvey as 'Boatman' / 'Dennis', Steven Kynman as 'Franz' / 'Lee Randolph', Anna Lowe as 'Freida' / 'Betty', Mark McKerracher as 'Mr' / 'Charles Redmond', Ian McLarnon as 'Louis' / 'Billy Webster', Joanne Redman as 'Nurse' / 'Mrs' / 'Harriet Pawling', Liza Sadovy as 'Yvonne' / 'Naomi Eisen', and Gay Soper as 'Old Lady' / 'Blair Daniels', along with Alex Gaumond and Rachel Grimshaw. Lauren Calpin, Georgina Hendry and Natalie Paris shared the role of 'Louise'.

Directed by Sam Buntrock with designs by David Farley, projection designs by Timothy Bird, choreography by Tara Wilkinson, musical staging by Christopher Gattell, lighting by Natasha Chivers and Mike Robertson, and sound by Sebastian Frost.

"The production which opened last night at Wyndham's is cleverly designed with innovative lighting techniques... This show has striking colour contrasts, neat special effects and highly-tuned performances, not least from Daniel Evans as the withdrawn, Asperger-ish Seurat... But like Seurat's paintings, I'm afraid this brave show left me largely unmoved. The movement is robotic, the characterisation rationed, the humanity pared back... It's all wildly intellectual and schemed to within an inch of mathematical perfection, sure, but I prefer my musicals with more gusto. Jenna Russell is adorable as Seural's frustrated lover Dot... Few of the other parts are much cop, though the actors do fine. Sondheim may have hoped to bring Seurat's tableaux to life but he only sketched in the roles." The Daily Mail

"There is something deeply satisfying about imagining the lives of the people in a painting you are fond of, and Sondheim, for all his irritating unnatural lyrics, gives all Seurat's characters interesting aspects, often very funny things to say and even sometimes bearable phrases to sing. But not Georges himself. Georges Seurat is a drudge who loves painting more than he cares for people and who casts out his pregnant lover Dot.. The second half of the play switches from 1886 to 1984. Georges is now a modern artist refusing to believe that he could be the great-grandson of Seurat, as his grandmother, Dot's baby, tells him he is. If only he had stopped singing I might have actually cared either way... The costumes are gratifyingly similar to the clothes in the painting and Sam Buntrock's direction is faultless." The Sunday Telegraph

Sunday in the Park with George in London at the Wyndham's Theatre previewed from 13 May 2006, opened on 23 May 2006, and closed on 2 September 2006.