Customer Reviews
Mandy Patinkin is a god among men 
2008-07-17
This is a fabulous production. The quality of cinematography is much higher than earlier Sondheim video releases. This probably has to do with the way that the set design itself tells a story along with the characters. The environment itself is so malleable it's like another character. It's not a simple, straight forward story, though, like Into the Woods or Sweeney Todd, which can make it initially confusing and offputting to the general public. Definitely worth watching though.
A Priceless and Exquisite Rendition of Sunday in the Park 2008-06-01
I can't tell you how much this DVD means to me. Since it is impossible to go back in time and watch Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters perform this beautiful musical live, this is literally the next best thing. Mandy, Bernadette, and all the cast does a magnificent job and, trust me, it translates on-screen. I have seen this DVD countless times and everyone of those times the story greatly moves me. Also, the commentary is wonderful as well. I've learned things about the show I would not have known otherwise and really got a glance into the minds of Stephen Sondheim, James Lapin, Mandy Patinkin, and Bernadette Peters. Like I said before, this DVD is priceless... and if you're a Sondheim fan, I'm sure you will think so too!
Look I made a hat, where there never was a hat 2008-04-28
One of the most interesting shows in the modern musical era. Sondheim's lyrics shine here, and Peters and Patinkin are a great team. Visually stunning, and a good transfer from the original non-digital recording.
Bias for Sondheim 2008-04-11
First off, for me Sondheim can do no wrong. It is eternally frustrating that I cannot get to the centres to see his productions and have to content myself with recordings, or local productions, which are few and far between.These tapes of videoed stage productions are a godsend.
I have long known the music from "Sunday in the Park" and indeed have used certain parts for lectures to my students as they explain well and simply the act of creation. It then is extremely moving to see how this work was presented on stage, and in many ways the DVD has the advantage over seeing it in the theatre as one is able to get close-ups and change of view point.I am not a particular fan of Ms. Peters but her performance as Dot is exceptional, both spirited and touching. Mr Patinkin's unusual voice combined with his skill as an actor makes his version of the role of George extremely moving, particularly in act one. If you enjoy Sondheim, this is for you.
a masterpiece, if not an acquired taste. 
2008-02-06
This musical has always been one of Sondheim's more esoteric pieces (read: definitely not everyone's cup of tea), but it is one of his best musicals and everyone who is a musical lover should experience this at least once. The lyrics are extremely smart and well written, the score is sweeping, the set design is beautiful and innovative, and although I will agree that it can be difficult to 'connect' with the characters and slow paced plot (that includes lots of Art vs. Life types of discussion), it's a very original work. 'Color and Light', 'Finishing The Hat', 'Children and Art', and 'Sunday', are brilliant, and among some of the greatest songs (and most difficult to perform) ever written for musical theatre. And in my opinion, Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patankin give the performances of both their lifetimes. So give it a try. You might not fall in love with it, but I guarentee that you will think about it, long after your first viewing.
Great DVD 2008-01-14
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte by Georges Seurat is one of the great paintings of the world, and in "Sunday in the Park with George," book writer James Lapine and composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim bring a story based on the work brilliantly to life. While the painting depicts people gathered on an island in the Seine, the musical goes beyond simply describing their lives. It is an exploration of art, of love, of commitment. Seurat connected dots to create images; Lapine and Sondheim use connection as the heart of all our relationships. Winner of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Sunday in the Park with George 2008-01-07
This DVD is like watching the musical live in person. If you love Mandy Patinkin and Berandette Peters as much as I do your heart will not be the same after experianceing their performances. If you are not familiar with the painting "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Le Grand Jate" it is an exquisite giant painting all done with pointalism (using tiny dots) to create a gorgeous scene of different people at a park as a period piece. This musical depicts George Seurat's (the painter) journey to create this painting and how the people in the painting literally come to life. It's about beauty and how that beauty is transfered in the ages.
A Classic 2007-10-17
Bernadette and Mandy at their peak! Sondheim's music is devilishly hard, but the singing is first-rate. A must-have in any theater fan's collection.
Sunday in the Park with George 2007-08-29
This is a classic performance of Sondheim's wonderful musical based on the famous Georges Seurat pointillist painting "Sunday on the Isle Grand Jatte",(now hanging in the Chicago Institute of Art), replete with little scenes and set to captivating music by Sondheim. The musical is enhanced with a fictitious "story" involving Georges and his girlfriend Dot...plus a science fiction-like last act, featuring the present where an American great-grandson, George, faces and conquers a creative crisis. The music and acting (by Mandy Patinkin and Bernardette Peters) in this Broadway performance are first rate, as is the staging. This disc is a treasure. Grab it while it is still available.
the musical that changed my life...... 2007-08-02
When I was about four years old, I happened to see Stephen Sondheim's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE and it transformed the way I saw and interpreted painting. Specifically, I fell in love with the painting that it was based on--Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jette, by the pointellist painter, Georges Seurat (December 2, 1859 - March 29, 1891). The pointellist movement was a bold and wonderful move on the part of this talented artist. The style in which these pieces were painted was through a series of hundred of painted "dots" forming elaborate and colorful studies. This beautiful musical brilliantly translates the themes and attitudes of Seurat's paintings. The first half of the musical is devoted to Seurat (Mandy Patinkin) and his lover, Dot (Bernadette Peters), the inspiration for one of the characters in the famous painted park scene. The second half follows Seurat's descendant, as he retraces the steps in the painter's life. This is a wonderful, vivid and entertaining musical journey. At age four, it was the one thing that motivated me to get on an airplane and travel to Chicago with my family, to at last see the marvelous painting that inspired the show--in the Chicago Museum of Art. I can't predict what it will inspire in you, but it will at least help you come to appreciate the great legacy that Georges Seurat left behind.
