Friday at the theatre with George

The new production of Sunday in the Park with George, which opened this week on Broadway, is wonderful! As with so many of the recent Sondheim revivals, this was a British import, this time in both cast and concept, and the two leads--Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell--were excellent.
Portraying, in the first act, the artist George Seurat and his lover and model Dot, Evans and Russell are extraordinarily moving. Their tale of imperfect love and the creation of art is one of the most beautiful pieces of musical theatre I've ever seen. To see Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte come into being at the end of the first act is incredible.

The show's second act is always something of a let down after the near-perfect first act. It also stars Russell and Evans, this time as George and Dot's daughter and great grandson, who is also an artist. It's far less human than the first act and is more of a rumination on the commerce of art and the challenge of being inventive. This production does slightly better than normal, though, thanks to Evans and Russell and some tight pacing (Putting It Together notwithstanding).

I haven't seen a show on Broadway that I really loved in a long time, and this one really hit me. I hope to see it again.