Act I

In 1884, Georges Seurat, known as George in the musical, is sketching studies fo

r his famous painting, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte." He
announces to the audience: "White, a blank page or canvas. The challenge: bring
order to the whole, through design, composition, tension, balance, light and ha
rmony." He conjures up the island, a small suburban park, around him, and retain
s some control of his surroundings as he draws them. His longtime mistress, Dot,
models for him, despite her frustrations at having to get up early on a Sunday.
("Sunday in the Park with George"). More regulars at the park begin to arrive:
a quarrelsome Old Lady and her Nurse discuss how Paris is changing to accommodat
e a tower for the International Exposition, but the Nurse is more interested in
a German coachman, Franz. The quiet of the park is interrupted by a group of rud
e bathers. George freezes them with a gesture, setting them as the subjects of h
is first painting, Bathers at Asnires. The setting abruptly changes to a gallery
where the painting is on display. Jules (a more successful artist friend of Geor
ge's) and his wife Yvonne think George's work has ("No Life"). Back on the islan
d, Jules and Yvonne have a short discussion with George and depart. They take th
eir coachman Franz with them, interrupting Franz's rendezvous with the Nurse. Do
t, who has grown tired of standing still in the early morning sunlight, leaves t
he park mollified after George promises to take her to the Follies. George appro
aches the Old Lady, revealed to be his mother, and requests to draw her, but she
bluntly refuses.
In George's studio he works on his painting obsessively while Dot prepares for t
heir date and fantasizes about being a Follies girl. ("Color and Light"). When G
eorge briefly stops painting to clean his brushes, he and Dot reflect on how fas
cinated they are by each other. Dot is ready to leave, but George chooses to con
tinue painting instead, greatly upsetting her.
In the park, on a Sunday some time later, George sketches a disgruntled Boatman
to the disapproval of an observing Jules. Dot enters on the arm of Louis, a bake
r. Two chatting shop girls, both named Celeste, notice Dot with a new man ("Goss
ip"). When Jules and Yvonne's daughter Louise attempts to pet the Boatman's dog,
he shouts at her, then lashes out at George and storms off. George and Dot have
an awkward, strained conversation as she works on the grammar book she is using
to teach herself how to read and write. As Jules and Yvonne mock the unconventi
onal nature of George's art, they discuss an initiative to have his work include
d in the next group show, which they both protest. George sketches two dogs whil
e whimsically trying to imagine the world from their perspective, describing the
ir relief to be free of their routines on Sunday ("The Day Off"). As the day goe
s on, George quietly sketches denizens of the park: The two Celestes try to attr
act the attention of a pair of Soldiers, fighting over which will get the more h
andsome of the two; The Nurse hides from the Old Lady and attempts to attract Fr
anz's attention; a Franz and his wife Frieda argue with Louise and each other; a
pair of wealthy American tourists pass by, hating everything about Paris but th
e pastries, and plan to return home with a baker in tow; Jules returns to furthe
r lecture George on his shortcomings as an artist, receiving in response an invi
tation to see his new painting; the Boatman reappears to rebuke the condescendin
g attitude of artists. Dot sees George, but he slips away before she can speak t
o him, and in retaliation she describes her satisfying new life with Louis. She
clearly misses and loves George, but Louis loves, respects and needs her in a wa
y George cannot, and she has made her choice ("Everybody Loves Louis").
As the park empties for the evening, George returns. He misses Dot and laments t
hat his art has alienated him from those important to him, but resigns himself t
o the likelihood that creative fulfillment may always take precedence, for him,
over personal happiness ("Finishing the Hat").
Time has passed, and a heavily pregnant Dot visits George's studio. She asks for
a painting George made of her, but he refuses. Jules and Yvonne come to the stu
dio to see George's nearly-finished painting. While Jules goes with George to se
e the painting, Yvonne and Dot hold a wary conversation. Once they realize they
have both felt neglected at the hands of an artist, their mutual dislike fades a
nd they discuss the difficulties of trying to maintain a romantic relationship w
ith an artist. Meanwhile, Jules is puzzled by George's new technique, and concer
ned that George's obsession with his work is alienating him from his fellow arti
sts and collectors alike. He refuses to support the work. Jules and Yvonne leave
, and George, having forgotten Dot was there, goes back to work. Dot reveals the
real reason for her visit: despite the obvious fact that her unborn child was f
athered by George, she and Louis are getting married and leaving for America. He
angrily retreats behind his canvas, and she begs him to react, in some way, to
her news. They argue bitterly about their failed relationship, and Dot concludes
sadly that while George may be capable of self-fulfilment, she is not and they
must part ("We Do Not Belong Together").
In the park the Old Lady finally agrees to sit for George, losing herself in fon
d memories of his childhood that George repeatedly points out as false. She bemo
ans the changing skyline of Paris, and he encourages her to see the beauty in th
e world as it is, rather than how it has been ("Beautiful"). The American Touris
ts arrive with Louis and Dot, who holds her newborn daughter, Marie. George refu
ses to acknowledge her, or his child, able to offer only a feeble apology as Dot
departs sadly.
The park grows noisy: the Celestes and the Soldier argue over their respective b
reak-ups while Jules and Frieda sneak away to have a clandestine affair in the p
ark. Louise informs Yvonne of her father's infidelity and a fight breaks out bet
ween Jules, Yvonne, Franz, and Frieda. While this conflict develops the Celestes
and the Soldier squabble noisily, and soon all the park-goers are fighting furi
ously, until the Old Lady shouts, "Remember, George!", and he stops them all wit
h a gesture. George takes control of the subjects of his painting, who sing in b
eautific harmony as he transforms them into the final tableau of his finished pa
inting. ("Sunday")
Act II
As the curtain opens the characters still in the tableau complain about being st
uck in the painting ("It's Hot Up Here"). The characters deliver short eulogies
for George, who died suddenly at 31.
The action fast-forwards a century later to 1984. George and Dot's great-grandso
n, who is also an artist named George, is at a museum unveiling his latest work:
a light machine called "Chromolume #7", an artistic reflection on Seurat's pain
ting. George presents the work, grounding its connection to the painting by invi
ting his 98-year-old grandmother, Marie, to help him present the work. Marie sha
res her family history, describing how her mother, Dot, informed her on her deat
hbed that she was the daughter of the famous painter. George is reluctant to bel
ieve in that particular bit of family lore, but Marie insists that the notes in
Dot's grammar book, which mention George, contain proof. After a brief technical
failure, the Chromolume is unveiled.
At the reception, various patrons and curators congratulate George on his work w
hile George flits between them, commenting about the difficulties of producing m
odern art ("Putting It Together"). Like his great-grandfather, he conjures his s
urroundings, allowing himself to hold multiple conversations at once. The only v
oice he finds he cannot ignore is that of an art critic who advises him that he
is repeating himself and wasting his gifts. After the museum's patrons have left
for dinner, Marie speaks to her mother's image in the painting, worrying about
George. When he arrives to take her home, she tells him about her mother, attemp
ting to pass on a message about the legacy we leave behind ("Children and Art").
She dozes off and George, alone with the painting, realizes he is lacking conne
ction.
Weeks later, Marie has died and George has been invited by the French government
to do a presentation of the Chromolume on the island where the painting was mad
e. On the island, George reveals to his friend Dennis that he has turned down hi
s next commission. Feeling adrift and unsure, George reads from a book he inheri
ted from his grandmother the same book Dot used to learn to read and ponders the
similarities between himself and his great-grandfather ("Lesson #8"). A vision
of Dot appears and greets George, who she addresses as if he was the George she
knew. He confides his doubts to her and she tells him to stop worrying about whe
ther his choices are the right ones and simply make them ("Move On"). George fin
ds some words written in the back of the book the words George often muttered wh
ile he worked. As George reads them aloud the characters from the painting fill
the stage and recreate their tableau ("Sunday"). As they leave and the stage res
embles a blank canvas, George reads: "White: a blank page or canvas. His favorit
e so many possibilities."