Overview
Synopsis
Inspired by George Seurat’s magnificent painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s soaring musical is itself an artistic masterpiece. The musical begins with the story of George and his model and lover Dot. As George struggles to find his artistic voice, he becomes more and more distant from the one woman who truly sees him for who he really is. Meanwhile, the characters that inhabit George’s painting have lives unto themselves, which George captures with his paintbrush. A century later, George and Dot’s descendants, themselves struggling artists, grapple with the same issues of artistic ingenuity, and a public who just doesn’t understand.Through melodic and heartbreaking music, poetic lyrics, and quick, jaunty wit, Sunday in the Park with George reveals universal truths about the nature of art, love, and passion, with the breadth and depth of art’s most enduring masterpieces.
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Context
Born in Paris in 1859, painter Georges Seurat became famous for his new styles and techniques of painting. As a post-Impressionist, he was more concerned with the use of color (rather than the naturalistic representations of light prized by Impressionists like Monet). Instead, Seurat created new techniques of mixing colors: pointillism (using small dots of color to create an image) and chromoluminarism (arranging contrasting colors in small dots to optically mix them). His most famous work
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ACT ONE
It is 1884, on La Grande Jatte, and painter Georges Seurat (known as “George”) is creating sketches for his new work. The stage is bare, a “blank page or canvas,” but as he works, a park along the River Seine appears. People begin to fill in the landscape, including his lover Dot, who is posing for him. She is hot and uncomfortable in her stiff dress, upset that she must stand in the sun as George admonishes her to concentrate (“Sunday in the Park With George”). In her
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Showing 8 of 28 characters
Character Portrayals
See StageAgent members who have performed roles in Sunday in the Park with George.
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Scenes
Songs
Showing 8 of 17 songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number.
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
THEMES
The Artist's Dedication and Isolation
A core theme is the intense, often alienating commitment required to create groundbreaking art. In Act I, Seurat (George) immerses himself obsessively in his pointillist masterpiece, prioritizing vision over personal relationships—most notably with Dot, who leaves him because he cannot fully reciprocate emotionally. This isolation is mirrored in Act II by the modern George, who feels blocked and disconnected while navigating the commercial
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Finishing the hat, / How you have to finish the hat. / How you watch the rest of the world / From a window / While you finish the hat.”
George, Act I (“Finishing the Hat”)
This lyric crystallizes the central conflict of artistic creation: the obsessive focus that both enables genius and enforces isolation. As George sings while completing a sketch of a hat on one of the figures in his painting, he acknowledges Dot’s departure yet frames it as an inevitable consequence of his commitment to
to read our analysis of select quotes from Sunday in the Park with George and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Key Terms
A ballad is a song style that tells a story through simple, lyrical verses and a steady rhythm. In theatre, ballads are often slow and emotional, allowing characters to reveal deep feelings or reflect on personal journeys. They can be used to highlight romance, longing, or moments of dramatic intensity.
A male vocal range between tenor and bass, often used for romantic leads, villains, or father figures in opera and musicals.
In music, harmony occurs when two or more notes are sung or played at the same time, creating chords that enrich the sound. In musical theatre, harmony is often used in duets, trios, or ensemble numbers to heighten emotion and texture. It can reinforce unity, tension, or contrast between characters.
Short for 'legitimate theatre,' referring to traditional stage drama as opposed to musical or commercial performance. The term is also used to describe a classical vocal tone suitable for operatic or legit musical theatre roles.
A recurring element, such as a symbol, image, or phrase, that reinforces a play’s themes. Motifs help unify the structure of a work and deepen its symbolic meaning.
A prestigious U.S. award for achievements in journalism, literature, and drama. Many modern plays that reflect social and political themes have received this honor.
The highest female vocal range in classical and musical theatre, often associated with youthful or romantic leads.
A vignette in drama is a short, self-contained scene or playlet that focuses on a single moment, theme, or character interaction. It does not require a full plot or complex structure, but instead provides a snapshot of life that conveys emotion, humor, or insight. Vignettes can stand alone or be grouped together to form a larger work.
Wit in theatre refers to the quick, clever use of language to create humor or reveal deeper truths about characters and situations. It often relies on sharp wordplay, irony, or unexpected turns of phrase to keep audiences engaged. Wit is commonly found in comedies and serves both to entertain and to highlight human flaws in a lighthearted way.
