A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the iconic musical Sunday in the Park with George.
Putting It Together chronicles the two-year odyssey of creating the iconic Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George.
In 1982, James Lapine, at the beginning of his career as a playwright and director, met Stephen Sondheim, nineteen years his senior and already a legendary Broadway composer and lyricist.
Shortly thereafter, the two decided to write a musical inspired by Georges Seurat’s nineteenth-century painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
Through conversations between Lapine and Sondheim, as well as most of the production team, and with a treasure trove of personal photographs, sketches, script notes, and sheet music, the two Broadway icons lift the curtain on their beloved musical.
Putting It Together is a deeply personal remembrance of their collaboration and friendship and the highs and lows of that journey – one that resulted in the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning classic.
James Lapine is a preeminent director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He is the recipient of three Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Passion, Falsettos, Into the Woods), as well as nine Tony Award nominations, five Drama Desk Awards, a Pulitzer Prize in Drama, and a Peabody Award, among other honors. He has also been inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Mr. Abbott Award for lifetime achievement in theatre.
Stephen Sondheim is a composer, lyricist, and Broadway icon. He is the recipient of eight Tony Awards (including a Tony for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), a Pulitzer Prize in Drama, an Academy Award for Best Song, eight Grammy Awards, eight Drama Desk Awards, and many other honors. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015.
Putting It Together – How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George is published by Pan Macmillan Australia (Farrar Straus Giroux) and available from all leading book sellers including Booktopia.
Image: Putting It Together – How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George – courtesy of Pan Macmillan Australia
