Kokandy Productions: Sunday in the Park With George
Missy Wise Vanderzee and Kevin Webb
Kokandy Productions Presents SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE Review - An Artist and His Connections
TLDR: With this intimate production of Sunday in the Park with George, Kokandy is able to heighten the emotions and unspoken feelings of our characters. A great show for those looking to see it for the first time or those who are already fans that love to find more meaning behind it.
Kevin Webb, Rachel Carreras, Lauren Miller and Danny Andrew Bennett
A Blank Canvas at Kokandy
Taking a meaningful look at A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the painting by Georges Seurat, each object and person in the painting slowly breaks down into tiny dots the longer we stare. A painting ahead of its time and Seurat received no recognition for it during his lifetime. A specific feeling, to know you have a vision, one that is looking at the world differently, and yet no one appreciates or sees value in it. Pile on top of that your anxiety about being able to connect with people, Seurat probably had a lot of his own insecurities to overcome.
Here in Sunday in the Park with George we see a fictionalized portrayal of his life during the creation of this famous painting and the characters created from the figures in it.
The stage at the Chopin Theatre is mostly white - a blank canvas. With a raised platform in the middle also white, this becomes the canvas of George’s life. We’re taken back and forth across the water to the island and George’s studio. When he’s out on the island, we meet all the characters who will be in his painting. We hear an older woman complaining about the placement of a tree to her nurse. There’s the two girls fishing by the water while eyeing the two soldiers walking by. There’s the young girl dressed in white darting between all the adults and sticking her tongue out at anyone who tries to stop her. And in his studio, we see the people in his life he supposedly loves come through. They know he's dedicated to his work, and he knows they want more emotional connection to him.
We Feel the Feelings, Even if George Doesn't
At face value, Sunday in the Park is about the life of Georges Seurat and then fast forward to his great-grandson, also an artist, in more modern times. This is where I’ve heard a lot of critiques about the show, the two acts feel disjointed. But the intimate staging here with Kokandy's production does wonders to bridge this gap. The blank canvas of the stage keeps us suspended and able to move more freely between time periods and lets us see how the theme carries from past to present more easily.
The intimate space of the Downstairs Theatre heightens our focus on the unspoken thoughts and feelings. Our seats are arranged around the space for a theatre in the round set-up, so we are up close and personal with the actors. Abraham Shaw as Louis looks on lovingly at Dot as he holds their newborn, but we catch the warning in his gaze when he turns to look at George.
Kevin Webb as George himself shows us a deeply emotional and dedicated artist, even if George himself can't show it. We see every look that passes across Webb’s face when he’s our focus on stage. He stands behind Dot as she prepares to leave and we see Webb’s struggle. He’s unable to tell her how he truly feels and tries to physically reach out to her but can’t. Webb paints a powerful picture and gives us not one, but two fully formed character arcs as he plays both Seurat and Seurat’s great-grandson.
Missy Wise Vanderzee as Dot is a formidable force as she shows her hurt, her love, but most of all her own confidence in her decisions even if they break her heart. The cast dives deep into their emotions for this one and also delivers the score with umph as we get into the internal psyche of each of our characters through it.
Samantha Ringor, Jack Saunders, Nick Arceo, Rachel Carreras and Z Moore
The After Party Thoughts
Sunday in the Park with George is an emotionally powerful story about how an artist connects with people through their artwork. And to some extent, you could stretch it more broadly to be about how a man has trouble expressing his feelings. But we’ll stick with an artist and his relationship to people and his relationship to his work because we don’t have time to unpack all that. So, we see how the struggle of an artist is truly timeless because even those we know as famous artists struggled, just like artists still do today.
If you're a musical theater fan that hasn't seen Sunday in the Park, this would be an enjoyable production to finally check off your list. And if you're already a Sunday in the Park fan and want to see a version where you can find meaning and emotions heightened, this production would be an amazing fit for you.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Kevin Webb and Missy Wise Vanderzee
When
Now through November 1, 2026
Where
Chopin Downstairs Studio
1543 W. Division St.
Chicago, IL 60642
Runtime: 2hrs 30min, including intermission
Tickets
$39+
Tickets can be purchased through the Kokandy Productions website
Photos
Evan Hanover
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
Rachel Carreras, Nick Arceo, Z Moore and Ella Carson
CAST
Nick Arceo (Boatman)
Danny Andrew Bennett (Jules)
Ella Carson (Louise)
Rachel Carreras (Nurse)
Emily Holland (Celeste 1)
Lauren Miller (Old Lady)
Z Moore (Franz)
KyraJo Petit-Walla (Frieda)
Samantha Ringor (Celeste 2)
Nathe Rowbotham (Yvonne)
Jack Saunders (Soldier)
Abraham Shaw (Louis)
Kevin Webb (George)
Missy Wise Vanderzee (Dot / Marie)
Brittney Brown (Swing)
David Gordon-Johnson (Swing)
Gabriel Levi (Swing)
Brady Magruder (Swing)
Halli Morgan (Swing)
Sarah Seidler (Swing)
Elexis Selmon (Swing)
CREATIVE
James Lapine (Book)
Stephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics)
Derek Van Barham (Director / Choreographer / Producing Artistic Director)
Nick Sula (Music Director)
G "Max" Maxin IV (Scenic & Lighting Designer)
Rachel Sypniewski (Costume Designer)
Matt Reich (Sound Designer)
Julian Weslander (Properties Designer)
Syd Genco (Makeup Designer)
Keith Ryan (Wig & Hair Designer)
Stone TeSelle (Associate Scenic Designer)
Shane Roberie (Casting Director)
Nicholas Reinhart (Production Manager)
Amelia Osborn (Associate Production Manager)
Kendyl Meyer (Stage Manager)
Ethan Colish (Assistant Stage Manager)
Michael Coppola (Stage Management Intern)
Scot Kokandy (Executive Producer)