A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago

ART ISN'T EASY, EASY ISN'T ART: Allow me to join the shower of praise in the current London/Roundabout transfer of Sunday In The Park With George, which is a remarkable production of a remarkable show. Even though the much longer first act takes entirely in 19th Century Paris, both it and the second act, set in 1984 New York, manage to tell us much about creativity, humanity, and art. Particular credit is due to London transfer leads Daniel Evans (in the roles originated by Mandy Patinkin) and Jenna Russell (in the roles originated by Bernadette Peters). For those who enjoy the American musical generally or Sondheim in particular, this is essential. I would also support the Tony Awards adding a special category to recognize the production design here--while the scenic design is deliberately minimalistic (a plain white stage with doors on the side), the production makes brilliant use of projections to recreate paintings and makes brilliant use of special effects in the "Putting It Together" number, which, in addition to being remarkably well-sung, is a perfect illustration of synchronization between performers, music, and a tech crew.