Twinkle, shimmer and buzz

The stars of the Roundabout's Sunday talk Sondheim and art

e tcel like we re brinf^mfi it home," sa\'s British aetor Daniel Evans of Sunday in the Park With (Teorge. Stephen Sondheim ami James Lapine's 1">S4 Pulitzer IVize-winnini* musical that Koundabout Theatre Company is re^^^'ing on

Sumlay explores the life of (leori^es Scurat, the Frcneb Neo-lnipressionist painter wh<sc faseination with the ability of the eye. instead of the l)riish, to fuse eolor let! to his ereation of pointillisin. .\et 1 fiiul.s ( ieor;;e iie\elopiiit; his niasterwork, A SwuUiy A/teniooii on the IsUind of La Grande.latte. To expedite the story, the ,'iutliors de\ised a fietionnl eharaeter. the afdremeiitioned Dot, as ( eorjie's mistress. Aet I clima.\es with the eharaeters forminfi a tableau replieatin Seurat's finished painting. Aet II leaps a eeiitury ahead as (ieorjie's fictional lreat-iraidson, also an artist iianieti ( leorc, struiiriles to forj^e a style ot' his own. His 98year-old raiuimother, Marie the ille>itiniate ehild of the earlier (ieori>e anil Dot ean Iielp him if onl\- hell listen. "Wb started in Lontton at this tin\- theatre with 150 seats," says E\aiis, who has aeted in the V.K. sinee a^e lH and been on Broadway onee before, in the Ko\a! Shakespeare Company's.\ Miiisunnncr Sifiht's Dream in 1996, as Lysander. "It was sort of a I don't want to say a joke, but a madeap idea of puttinji SnmUiy on with no money, no injj sjiaee ami a eeiliiif so low you eouliln t fly aintlnn." Buntroek, he says, "was an animator in a different life, and he came up with the idea that tf) re-ereate the paintinji. you eoiilil use iUt>ital teehnoloy)." Tluis K\ans has hati the bizarre experienec of acting and sin^in^i while a \iiieo of liimsclf plays on a sereen. l)istinuishint their performances from those of I'atinkin, I'etcrs anti the main' other actors wlio ha\e played ( ieor^c and Dot was essential, they say. "Initial rehearsals were diffieult heeause I hail to ban my.self t'rom hearing the original reeorLnji." sa\'s Kwins. "I'll no interest in inipersoniilinii Mriuiiy PatiiiUin. This is ni>- response to these parts. It's .lenna's response. Hopefully, that's what people enjoy." Adds Kussell, who jouieil the Sundity east initlwax" through its London runs, "I suppose my fear of lookin;^ at the D\'l) is I nii^ht see sonic fabulous eomedy business I have to steal or a moment I've not done. Also, we're still disco\erini^ stuff, beeaiise we've been pla\ in at this for a lonji time, .lust toila\'e iliii our first run-throuh, which was hijihly emotional. We're sinitiin 'Mo\e On,' and 1 thoiijlit, 'If this room was with the people we normally lia\e in rciiearsal this time, the authors were there I would ha%v had a few tears.'"

PHOTO BY JOAN MARCUS

Broadwiiy (Feb. 21-April 27, 2{)()S). Direeteii hy Sam Btmtroek. the prothietion be^an .-u London's tiny Mcnier Choeolate Faetory in 20(}f) before movinj to the West Knd. Evans, as Gcori^c, anti .lenna Rus.sell. playlnj; Dot/Marie, won Olivier Awards the ct|iii\aleiit of Tonys for their w<rk. Both ""asp ho profound the memories are of SinuUiy's original stars. Manih' I'iitinkiii iuul Hcrnadette I'eters. "We ha\e j^i^at respect for it and them, but we have to tlirow it around.'" Evans says.
20 The Sondheim Review

Canvassing characters
lans ami Kussell seem so iuteriuineJ. on and off stage, they often finish eaeh other's scntenees or offer jientle yet intuiti\r anal\-scs

BY LEONARD JACOBS

ot" c'lc'h otlicr's thoujihts. As Russell discusses her iietinii choices, Evans nods. At the appropriate numieiit. his tiaiut on her arm. he SUN'S.
"W h i l l s ^ l o i i o i i . s ihoiit ,lenii;i is all h e r tiau^h-

tiiiess, her sen.se of fun. her emotional connection to the role, lier seriousness it all comes ilin)Uiili." They fiiiil"-'. iind Russell nods in kiiul. Then Kiis.scll coiitiinics: "Stephen Sondheim told me how his characters sing is how thc>' speak, aiul I think Siniday is a really ood illustration dt' soineiiiie s mental state of mind." In ihe openinji (and title) niiniher. for example. Dot. posiii^i l'or (leorje. resists beinji stationary, "There she is. still, yet her mind is raeinfl," Russell says. "She feels her sweat: she has a cheeky. l:iii]i;liin]i;-at-lierself inonieiit: she ha.s these beautiful, hrical hits on how wonderful (leorfie is, then her hraiti races to somcthinj^ else. There's ;i Uit of tlie eliiki in Dot. .\nd I've alwa\s ihiiutiht her nile is to l(i\e (leori^e a luindred iiiillion billion pereent. Marie's job is to love (icoriic for all his mistakes, to want what's liest tor him. 1 thhiU Dot's like a firefly: Slie's all o\cr tlie plaee. lint when ealleil upon, she's a rcat. stronj^. e.xtraordinary woman. Like e\eryone. she wants someone to love her. to liivc her a hu, tell her she's oorjicous." That i.s what the .\et I (leor;ie, olisesscd with his work, cannot do. The actors say their perforniaiiecs ph'ot at times on a tension they relish. I'laxinji a distant figure. K\ans sa\*s. is peihap.s his hartlcst task. "(eoriie can be eoki." he says. "( )ne of my ehallenjics is playinji soineniic sceniin^ly diseonneetcd so that the aiulicnce can empathize, so they think, 'Oh, I iiiulerstaiul eore. I hate liim for not ivinj Dot wh.it she ileeils. hut I underMaiui him a little.' We all ean niulerstaiul obsession, acklietioii. I think (leortie ean be warm and funny, tenenms, nau^hty and dirty. I think he and Dot lia\e ill! aniaziiiii private life tojicther I think they ha\e a wonderful sexual relationship." "Wiien slie ean peel him away from his paintint.' Russell says. "And once he starts." K\ans eontinues, "what happens for me is the warmth ;iets transferred to the paintinji. It iiets all the waniith and passion, whieh Dot thinks is cold. Me doesn't think lie's cold. [ think he thinks it's hard for him to sa>\ 'I lo\e von: I need you.' .\nd that iiri\es her mental," Russell says. "It drives/liiii mental," Kvans adds. "When we were sinin^ 'We Do Niit Belon^ Together,' 1 .'itirec with almost c\erythin(i she sinjis. (ieoriie antl Dot .should have bcloiiiied tjiether yet he ean't brillo himself to say, 'Don't " ' The paintinji is a sort of rcparatiiui. In the painting.

she's in the shade; she has a hat and a parasol. He takes care of her in the painting, whieh hecoiiies world-famous, t think of ihat when we perform, (eorjie can't exjress his lo\e. hut he eaii in his art."

Making the connection

Russell has thoiijiht a lot about Aet 1 of 1 Swulay. which niaii>' critics consider a slo^. She agrees that the narrative is less linear: Wliereas Act I concerns Seurat's neeii to finish his masterwork. Aet II eoiieerns the latter-day Ceorgc's inability to define his aesthetic voice, liitrodueinji new, eontemporary characters, she says, makes the actors' jobs harder. "As at the end of Act I. you have the lo\elv' paintinii. all the people up there in their lovely DANIEL EVANS & JENNA RUSSELL outfits, and they o off suddenly, and it's alt a bit Evans, who was born in Wales, won his first eold," Russell says. "It's, Olivier Award in 2001 for playing Charley Kringas AMio are these new in the London production of Sondheim's Merrily people? Wiiat about these We Roll Along. Evans' other credits include U.K. characters we'\e spent all productions of Henry V. Cardiff East, Peter Pan, this time with, that we're in lo\-c with?' It takes a Candide, Grand Hotel, The Merchant of Venice, good five minutes where and Troilus and Cressida. you feel the audienee Russell's credits include three productions at *, "No. stay in the London's Bridewell Theatre (On a Clear Day You century.' Hut they Can See Forever, Hello Again and The Cutting warm up." After (eorge Sintis "Putting It Edge), playing Sarah Brown in the 2005 West End To;iether." she Sin's. revival of Guys and Dolls, and Born and Bred and Sunday "starts to shrink, Doctor Who on TV. in a way; the writing* becomes beautiful, honest and niovin. Soon it's really Just (ie(ir;ie ;itul Marie, then just (;cor>;e after she dies." "Aet II CJcor^c is the other side of the eoin," adds Eviins. ".lames Lapine said that in Act 1, (ieoriie knows himself, but no one else unilerstaiuls him. In Aet II, everyone understands Cleor^e but himself. I think that's rijjht. The modem George is a brilliant artist who sold out: he's repeating the same okl shit. Marie says he has a conncetion with his ^rcat-^irandfather, a jireat artist he's e\iiical about. Then he lias an epipliany where he reeonneets with his past. He realizes what he must do as artist, yes. but also what he must dn as a person." TW tS
LEONARD JACOBS is the national theatre editor of Back Stage, v/vhere this feature was originally published on Jan. 24, 2008. TSR is grateful for Back Stage's permission to reprint.

The Sondheim Review 21