In Sunday in the Park with George, figures step off the canvas of a famous painting and come to life to tell the imagined stories of two related artists who live a century apart – their struggles with their art, their personal lives, and the business side of the art world. The musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine won numerous awards after it was first produced on Broadway in 1984. Next week, El Paso Opera will present two performances of the iconic show on May 17 and 19 to wrap up this season.
“It’s a beautiful musical inspired by a beautiful painting,” said El Paso Opera executive director Arianne Marcee, noting that the show is about “the art of making art.” Listen to the interview with Marcee and Intermezzo host Leora Zeitlin to learn more about the musical, Sondheim and Lapine’s process of creating it, the cast that is coming together for these performances, and much more.
Performances are Friday, May17 and Saturday, May 18 at 7:30 p.m. at the Abraham Chavez Theatre. The cast features singers with a background in both opera and musical theater, including Luis Orozco, a native El Pasoan who has performed on stages around the world, Avery Boettcher, Cherry Duke, Annie Pennies, Daniel Maciel, Holly Mesarch, Adam Zarowski and others.
Musical clips in this interview come from the original Broadway cast recording of the musical, starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters:
1.) “Color and Light”
2.) “Putting it Together”
3.) “Sunday in the Park with George”