Sunday in the Park with George (1986)

Filmed by PBS television, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Sunday IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE is one of the rare times that a play was filmed using its original cast. Composer Stephan Sondheim is one of the unarguable legends of musical theatre, and, overall, this is perhaps his most complex and personal play. The show brilliantly captures all of the romance and heartbreak that come with the creation of art, and includes some of Sondheim's most memorable songs (the side-splitting title song, "Color and Light," "We Do Not Belong Together," "Child and Art," "Putting It Together," and the absolutely stunning "Move On," just to name a few). In the lead roles, Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters are absolutely terrific, each playing dual roles flawlessly.The technical quality of PBS' presentation leaves something to be desired, with poor definition and even some shaky camera movements. Just having this theatrical milestone persevered on film, however, makes up for any such technical shortcomings. Highly recommended.

This is just about a perfect production, Peters and Patinkin are incredible (as usual), the sets, most of all the music, its so complex and beautiful. I was just stunned when i first watched it a few weeks ago. I couldn't stop thinking about it and the music was going around in my head. Of course i knew the song "Move On" which seems to recur throughout. The reason i got the DVD was because the cast recording CD is not currently available, but i've just seen that they are preparing an updated version of the original cast recording, including some songs they must have left out of the original, so i'm ordering that for sure!! Plus i love the painting as well, i've suddenly developed a great interest in 'pointillisme' and Georges Seurat. Very sad to hear about the death in Bernadette's family this week :( 10/10 from me.

Working in a music library, I first encountered Stephen Sondheim's work in 1995 - and hated it!I was shown this movie and changed my mind completely. As a piece of theatre it is superb and as a 'movie musical' - well there has been a lot worse. The music tells the story. If you've ever encountered Sondheim and hated him, please, please, please take a look at this show. If you can, check out 'Into the Woods' and 'Sweeney Todd'. The man's a genius. And so are Prince and Lapine. Performances by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters are brilliant and very real. You can feel their emotions; worry, obsession, regret. Even if you don't usually watch musicals, give this one a go. You won't regret it.P.S. Star Trek : Next Generation Fans - check out Brent Spiner in a very non-Data role. I nearly didn't recognise him, and it proves he can sing.

This is a masterpiece. Sondhiem and Patinkin: American theatre's greatest talents in their fields, join forces in a show of tremendous complexity and humanity. For the uninitiated this can be a hard one to warm up to; but stick with it. It's a play about how disjointed pieces of life and art, some of which are individually unappealing, can come together with such beauty, if the eye arranges them in a certain way. Patinkin is, as usual, amazing, Peters is heartbreaking, and Sondheim's score and lyrics take musical theatre to a new level. "Finishing the Hat" is the best marriage of song and singer in the history of the stage. What a wonderful meditation on art and life!