Sunday in the Park with George (1984 Original Broadway Cast)

For Artists Only

I once was associated with a community theater production of "Sunday In The Park With George," my favorite musical. Unlike most community theaters, this one was well-funded, with money to burn, and burn money they did. In attempting to replicate the production values of the original Broadway show, their comprehensive carbon copy was the most expensive play they had ever put on in their 150 year history. It was DOA, and a flop. Because copying isn't art. Because they could sing it, but they couldn't hear it. What makes "Sunday In The Park" so thrilling is that it soars on songs that plumb (with great good humor and compassion), the demands that art makes on artists. As the title of this review, taken from the Talking Heads, suggests, you either get it, or you don't. Most don't. Or as George sings, "They have never understood / And no reason that they should / But if anybody could. . ." April 12, 2008

Sunday in the Park with George is Outstanding

I saw this show on Broadway in 1984 and this recording brings back the thrill of that experience. Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters are at the top of there game. This is a magical recording. January 18, 2008

Great Score...Middling Show

This remastered edition of the OBC of "Sunday in the Park with George" is pristine and sonically beautiful. It captures a rapturous performance by Bernadette Peters, some of Steven Sondheim's finest moments and the usual from Mandy Patinkin: gorgeous renditions of some plaintive songs mixed with over-the-top, gimmicky hijinx that tax the listener and overwhelm the material. "Sunday..." has always been a puzzlement. Despite some weak songs in the first act ("Gossip", "No Light", "The Day Off") it still has resonence and soaring melodic and comedic moments. "Everybody Loves Louis" is a highlight for Peters and she shows off her comedic elan to its best effect. She also injects "We Do Not Belong Together" with a searing intensity that communicates both her wrath and deep hurt at the loss of George. "Finishing the Hat" is Patinkin's moment to shine. No one has ever performed the piece better and it is one of Sondheim's greatest achievements as well as Patinkin's. All of this leads to a moment of musical theater history, the soaring denoument to Act I, "Sunday". This song builds in beauty and surging power to a climax that is emotionally overwhelming and deservedly so.

Act II has always been castigated for being either unnecessary or disjointed. It is true that the book rather clumsily tries to connect the past and the present, but Sondheim still comes up with some classics. "It's Hot Up Here" is an odd comical number that works on its premise: characters in Seurat's painting sing a litany of complaints about being immortalized in a painting. The conceit works perfectly. "Putting It Together" has rightly become a standard because it nails the dichotomy of art and commerce in precise, hilarious asides. The "Chromolume #7" section is dated and belabored, but what follows is a series of songs that build upon character and theme quite efficiently. Peters' gentle "Children and Art" is a wise lullaby that she performs exquisitely, and Patinkin's "Lesson #8" is the breakthrough his character needs. His subdued rendition is sincere, underplayed and quite welcome. Both performers collaborate beautifully together in the joyous "Move On", which also provides the listener with the emotional release needed to make the piece come together. Finally, The reprise of "Sunday" is more mournful and pensive than when first heard, a precise and moving end to a problematic musical.

Peters manages to assert herself here as a Broadway force to be reckoned with, as she would repeatedly prove to be in the years to come. Unfortunately, Patinkin also manages to assert himself as one of the most eccentric and inconsistent Broadway performers around. His "The Day Off", in which he portrays and imitates a dog, is an ordeal to listen to. On other occassions, his dour, one-note portrayal makes George seem like an insufferable narcissist. Maybe that was the authors' intent, but it sure doesn't make for an entertaining listen.

"Sunday in the Park..." is worth the time of anyone interested in musical theater, and the CD does not suffer from the scripting lapses that plagued the show. If only someone could have given Patinkin a sedative or two he might have grated less and relied more on his talent than his show-offmanship. January 10, 2008

Amazing!

One of the best scores written by Stephen Sondheim! So amazing! You will enjoy it very much! June 10, 2007

Sunday in the Park with George (remastered)

I rented the VHS version of this musical from the video store a long time ago and fell in love with the music and the songs when i first seen it. so naturally i had to go ouot and find the CD. but they only had it on special order. so i ordered it and i have been in love with it ever since. I love the music cause it reflects my mood in diffrent aspects. I listen to it whenever i get the chance and a whole flood of emotions run thru me whenever i hear certain phrases. Now that they finally got the remastered version out i had to order it right away. i had heard one of the bonus tracks (Sunday) on a cassette i had and i loved it. it is a good rendition of the song. the other Bonus Track (putting it together) i have heard the Carol Burnette Version on TV and it was a awesome combining of lyrics. so this is a beautifukl addition to the soundtrack.This is what made me fall in love with Stephen Sondheim and his music. Cause he knows hwo to write for people and how to touch ate youor emotions. Sunday in the Park with George is a awesome CD and I highly reccommend it to anyone who loves a good Sondheim show. Bernadette peters and Mandy Patinkin are brillent and deserve the praise once again since this woerful music has been reissued for a new generation to hear. Enjoy this CD and fall in love with the music once again.... May 12, 2007

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