Review: Production of classic musical in Berkeley is just about perfect

Living inside a creative mind responsible for a work of art that never existed is a vexing proposition.

This is the case with George Seurat, who doesn’t paint as much as he jabs, harnessing his newfound technique of pointillism, in which the abstract up close gives way to harmonic clarity from a distance.

In Seurat’s master work of pointillist perfection “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” we see the painstaking process that comes with being an artist. The musical “Sunday in the Park with George,” extended through Feb. 15 at Shotgun Players in Berkeley, gets so many of the show’s finest details correct through Susannah Martin’s astute direction, with committed performances that play grandly on the intimate Ashby stage. The show is one of the great showcases of a genius collaboration — Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1984 Pulitzer Prize-winning opus that is recognized as one of American theater’s greatest musical works.

George (Kevin Singer) stares at his canvas in a way he would never stare at another, much to the dismay of Dot (Marah Sotelo). Dot stands patiently in heavy fabrics on a Sunday, while George stares at her with a razor focus that never penetrates her soul.

It is not that George is purposely spurning Dot. But in moments where finishing a hat fuels his day’s most important challenge, affairs of the heart sadly take a backseat.

The show’s joys come from its frenetic nature, with some of Sondheim’s most masterful work tucked inside of Lapine’s searing insights about art and longing. What leads up to the painting’s ultimate settlement is chaos, folks running around on a lush patch of grass, brilliant trees and shimmering water lining the background. Even a group of bathers from another Seurat masterpiece, “Bathers at Asnières,” pop in and joyfully wreak havoc. All of these moments are made viable by the delightful group of ensemble performers that provide lively texture over the course of the show’s 165-minute runtime.

The piece is also one that can feel disjointed. The second act advances 100 years into the future, when George’s great-grandson, also played by Singer, reveals a chromolume he crafted, inspired by his great-grandfather’s painting. It’s not a sleight, but a challenge, forcing the audience to lock in further and lean towards how time and legacy can shift the way we consume art. Where the show is at its most effective is in how the beauty of all these pieces come together in the end, with a final line that is incredibly beautiful in its simplicity.

There are also some of the most critical pieces of wisdom revealed in that second act, moments when Sondheim’s genius and foresight to make such a daring piece reveal he is often one of one. The second act is where the differentiation of Singer, who must find deeper connections with his peers, really pays major dividends. “Putting it Together” is a number that showcases some of the best that the production offers, a delicious combination of Martin’s succinct staging and a number that has some interesting conversations with Seurat, who was never known as a commercial success.

Sotelo is a strong performer who does well when living inside the dualities of her Dot, and later, Marie. The role is one that fluctuates between the longing of youth and the realities of aging, with her strength found inside subtlety. Her work inside both “Color and Light” and “Children and Art” bring forth a searing magnificence.

Nina Ball’s set design is all-encompassing, with a nice touch of a handful of audience members sitting on the right and left of the stage. The deep greens and cheery set pieces that mirror Seurat’s unmistakable style play well with Madeline Berger’s wide-ranging and highly effective costume design, all put together through David Mӧschler’s music direction.

The metaphoric magic of “Sunday in the Park with George” permeates the entire piece. But it is that final line that may be the most metaphoric of all. The beauty of life is built from the canvas we possess. How we choose to fill it, with all the tiniest dots of a lifetime that make up the entire beautiful image of our whole existence, is up to every one of us.

David John Chávez is a former chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2022-23); @davidjchavez.bsky.social.

‘SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE’

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by James Lapine, presented by Shotgun Players

Through: Feb. 15

Where: Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley

Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes with an intermission