Sunday in the Park with George

And then spend a few days in Colorado Springs

by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

In the past 50 years, there have only been three musicals to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama: A Chorus Line, Rent and Sunday in the Park with George. The Fine Arts Center Theatre Company will present Sunday in the Park with George, Jan. 25-Feb. 17, in the SaGāJi Theatre.

I first saw this musical on Broadway with Bernadette Peters. It was the first time I ever saw her perform and I can still see the spectacular sets and recall her voice as she sang the touching music.

Would it be as wonderful in another venue with another actress? I would make a bet that the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs will do an equally memorable performance. I recently toured the newly updated theatre center and was really impressed. Just like having read a book and then seeing the movie, seeing a performance in a different venue with a different cast suggests comparison, yet they are each a different interpretation of a single story.

FAC performs musical masterpiece about painter Seurat

Written and scored by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Sunday in the Park is a moving study of the enigmatic painter Georges Seurat that won a Pulitzer Prize for its insightful and personal examination of life through art and the artist. Act one follows Seurat as he fights a losing battle to maintain a relationship with his mistress, Dot, as he creates his painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, amid the scorn of the artistic community. The second act takes place 100 years later, introducing us to his American descendant, also an artist, burned out and uncertain of the path he must take.

The show was specifically chosen to correspond with the FAC’s special exhibition, Impressionist and Modern Masters, on exhibit through March 9. Much of the second act is set at an art exhibition opening in a museum.

And this the kind of holistic approach to the arts that seems to be a trademark of the FAC.

“What better piece to do at an arts center that recently completed a $30 million renovation and who is currently exhibiting one of the country finest exhibitions of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art?” asks Alan Osburn, Producing Artistic Director of the FAC Theatre Company. Osburn, who directed last season’s Into the Woods – another Sondheim/Lapine collaboration – is directing Sunday in the Park.

Applause,. Applause

On Dec. 30, the FAC Theatre Company’s Musical Director Roberta Jacyshyn earned a 2007 Denver Post Ovation Award for “Best Orchestra” for Into the Woods; the production garnered nine nominations, including “Best Musical,” “Best Ensemble,” and “Best Director.” In 2006, the Company earned the Ovation Award for “Best Musical” with Pirates of Penzance.

Last Chance

Jacyshyn, the Musical Director or musician or both for every single FAC musical since 1984’s Bye Bye Birdie – about 80 productions – is saying goodbye to Colorado Springs. Jacyshyn will be playing keyboards for Sunday in the Park; it will be her farewell performance as she and her husband, Mark Rose, will be moving to Florida. Rose has been the primary reeds player for the Theatre Company for a number of years.

“Roberta and Mark will be greatly missed,” said Osburn. “Both have played integral roles in the legacy of our musical success and we wish them well in their future endeavors.”

More Awards

Christopher L. Sheley is the scenic designer. He won the 2006 Denver Post Ovation Award for ‘Best Set Design’ for the FAC Theatre Company’s production of Pirates of Penzance and was nominated in the same category in 2007 for Into the Woods.

A musical and a virtual Art Gallery at the same time

The scenic designer will feature the artistry of Brian Jude Beacom, who will recreate Seurat’s paintings: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and Bathing at Asnieres, along with painting over a dozen life-size, two-dimensional cut outs of various people and animals found in the La Grande Jatte painting. Seurat painted La Grande Jatte in two years; Beacom will have four weeks.

“This is a huge undertaking,” said Osburn. “We wouldn’t be doing this show if we didn’t have Brian. He’s one of the finest scenic artists in the region.”

The Stars

The show stars Brian R. Hutchinson as George. Hutchinson was last seen playing Chaplain White in the Arvada Center’s production of Defiance. He earned the 2006 Denver Henry Award from the Denver Theatre Guild for “Best Actor in a Musical” for his work in Assassins (yet another Sondheim-penned work) as John Wilkes Booth at the Aurora Fox Theatre. Hutchinson was a finalist for the 2006 Denver Post Ovation Award for “Best Year by an Actor,” highlighted by his role in Cabaret.

The role of Dot is being played by Carmen Mock, the scene-stealing Little Red Riding Hood from Into the Woods and Mrs. Fezziwig from A Christmas Carol. Mock is a 2005 graduate of New York’s American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She starred as Young Tammy in the first national tour of Stand by Your Man: The Tammy Wynette Story.

Sondheim was honored last September as the recipient of the Donald Sewell Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre by the Colorado Festival of World Theatre. He has written the music and/or lyrics for not only Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park, but also West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Gypsy, Company, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

Tickets and Show times
Thursday             7:30 p.m.         $26 FAC members; $28 non-members; $30 at the door
Friday/Saturday 8:00 p.m.         $28 FAC members; $30 non-members; $31 at the door
Sunday               2:00 p.m.         $28 FAC members; $30 non-members; $31 at the door

More information concerning tickets sales for individuals or groups, and the Curtain Call Society can be found at csfineartscenter.org or by calling the FAC Box Office at 719.634.5583.

Upcoming Productions
Defending the Caveman | Feb. 22-23
Fuddy Meers | March 21 – April 6
Beauty and the Beast | May 9 – June 1

Sunday in the Park with George is sponsored by Harry & Joan Hoth and Alan & Barbara Steiner.

The 2007-2008 Theatre Season is sponsored by the Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado,
the El Pomar Foundation and The Independent.

Cheers

Don’t just attend the performance. Go early for a drink in their bar Deco Lounge.

Stroll around and see the Impressionist show as well as the Dale Chihuley collection

And for a memorable ending to a perfect evening, stop by the café for a chocolate mousse. This heavenly dessert will leave you with a delicious last impression

WHERE TO STAY

The Broadmoor

Deco Lounge taken by Phillip Spears, all other photos, Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who tries to see theatre no matter where she is. Read her stories on www.travellady.com, www.carladynews.com, www.yogayaya.com, www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.coffeeatlas.com and www.teaAtlas.com