news to me
“Latin: A defense of one's life…” (answers.com)
2/22/08 NYT Theater Review, “Down by the Blue, Purple, Red, Yellow Water,” by Ben Brantley, about the latest revival of Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George.”
“…As a portrait of the artist as an embattled and rejected man “Sunday” has been read as a sort of apologia pro vita sua by Mr. Sondheim. Like his Seurat, Mr. Sondheim has been criticized for being chillingly cerebral and remote, for having, as the show’s lyrics put it, ‘no life in his art…’”
If you hate Sondheim (or Seurat), there’s nothing for you here. But based on Ben Brantley’s elegant review, I could hop on a plane and go to the New York revival of “Sunday in the Park with George” in a New York minute…for the "inventive visuals" alone. Well, ok, and the music. I can’t short-change that music. Been a while since I saw a NY show, and I’m really jonesing for this one now. It's a new day, and according to Brantley, this new “Sunday” stands apart from the original 80's production. Apparently, this time at Studio 54 (yes, the Studio 54), the Roundhouse Theater folks have created a more intimate, uniquely sensual show, a precious gem that is altogether different and even more beautiful. I could go for some of that loveliness. What the world needs now...
“...That the second act ends as the first does, in a ravishing epiphany of artistic harmony, now feels more than ever like a loving benediction, bestowed by the show’s creators on its audiences. Every member of those audiences, whether consciously or not, is struggling for such harmony in dealing with the mess of daily reality. How generous of this production — and it is the generosity of all great art — that it allows you, for a breathless few moments, to achieve that exquisite, elusive balance.”
No comments:
Post a Comment