Georges Seurat’s Famous Painting Comes to Life

Chicago’s Shakespeare Theater Awes Art Institute of Chicago Visitors With Surprise Performance of its Upcoming Musical “Sunday in the Park with George”

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago on Sunday received a slightly different cultural experience than they expected: at the top of the museum’s Grand Staircase leading to the Impressionist Galleries, a full-sized replica of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte–1884 was installed but devoid of most of the foreground characters, leaving visitors puzzled by the strange new version. In anticipation of Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical Sunday in the Park with George, characters from this famous painting came to life for a surprising musical performance.

The patrons heard music as fully costumed characters from the painting emerged and sang a rousing rendition of the song “Sunday.” Afterwards, the acting company cascaded down the Grand Staircase, out the main entrance of the Art Institute between the iconic lions and onto a Chicago Trolley. The trolley then carried them up Michigan Avenue, along the city’s lush Millennium Park, and back to Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, where the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical opens the Theater’s season, September 26 through November 4, 2012.

Only in Chicago could these two masterpieces have engaged in conversation with one another. Inspired by the Art Institute’s famous Seurat masterpiece, the musical Sunday in the Park with George tells the story of a painter's struggle between creating art and living life. The Chicago Shakespeare production is staged by Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin (The Color Purple, Follies) and features Jason Danieley as Georges/George and Carmen Cusack as Dot/Marie.

Performances in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Courtyard Theater are September 26–November 4, 2012. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Box Office at 312.595.5600 or visit the Theater’s website at www.chicagoshakes.com/sunday.

For event performance footage, visit http://tiny.cc/xj7kkw. For event photos, visit http://www.chicagoshakes.com/main.taf?p=14,1,2,9,9

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