Shotgun Players will complete their 2025 season with the Tony Award-winning musical, “Sunday in the Park with George,” a classic from James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim.  Pay-what-you-can previews start Nov. 15 at the Ashby Stage. 

Inspired by George Seurat’s pointillist painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” the musical explores the personal and emotional costs of the creative process. It follows the obsessed, and at times flawed, artist and his subjects.

Shotgun Players’ “Sunday in the Park with George,” Nov. 15-Dec. 30, Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets online or at (510) 841-6500 ext. 303. Discounts available.

“I’ve never experienced a musical which gets so deeply into the experience of being an artist and the process of making art,” says director Susannah Martin. “The questioning, doubting, fear, rage, and joy that goes into making something; the way this musical captures that love and joy — the passion and necessary obsession that goes into art making is captivating — along with the impact that obsession has on those we love and our relationships.”

Music Director David Möschler leads the ensemble from the piano, joined by Associate Music Director Daniel Alley.

“The sound-world of the show is just as daring, provocative, interesting and non-traditional as the type of art that the character of George Seurat was striving to create,” says Möschler. “It’s not book scenes followed by songs belted out ad nauseum; it’s a score that is interwoven through dialogue and comes together more like a film score that helps create a strong sense of narrative and dramatic continuity from beginning to end.”

Originally produced in 1984 with Mandy Patinkin as George and Bernadette Peters starring as Dot, “Sunday in the Park with George” received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1985, cementing its legacy as a classic piece of theater. It still resonates today, thinking about contemporary artistry and creative obsession.

Sondheim — renowned for his wordplay, intricate harmonies, and insightful stories — created musicals that challenged convention and moved the genre forward with songs that displayed human complexity. From “Sweeney Todd” to “Into the Woods,” he captured the drama of ambition, love, loss and creation. For this Shotgun Players production, Michael Kelly perfects the sound design, so the music can be heard in all its brilliance.

Kevin Singer steps into the role of George while Marah Sotelo embodies Dot/Marie against Shotgun Players’ signature style of production. 

Scenic Designer, Nina Ball, creates a visual backdrop that invites audiences into the style of Seurat’s “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”  Every speck of paint that went into Seurat’s  painting illustrates the meticulousness of pointillism. The Shotgun Players production of “Sunday in the Park with George” will feature immersive on-stage seating and an expanded bar menu during its  Nov. 15-Dec. 30 run. 

From left, cast members for “Sunday in the Park with George”: No’Eau Kahalekulu, Antonia Reed, Marah Sotelo, Kevin Singer, Imri Tate and Matt Standley. Credit: Robbie Sweeny

“ ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ is a legitimate masterpiece.  Producing it is doubly special because the show speaks to the all-consuming nature of art-making,” says Shotgun Players’ Artistic Director Patrick Dooley. 

“Anyone who has been swept up in the thralls of feeling that come with a deeply creative endeavor is sensitive to the toll it can take on those we love, even when the work itself is inspired by those same loved ones,” Dooley says. “Sondheim captures that ineffable tension between artist and muse beautifully, and tragically.”

Tickets are available at www.shotgunplayers.org/show/sunday or by calling the box office at  510-841-6500 x 303.

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