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JERRY BECK
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AMID AMIDI
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Sondheim with an Animated Twist
by amid
February 18, 2008 4:49 am


Sunday in the Park with George

The new Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George”, which has been brought over from London, is notable in that it’s directed by former animator Sam Buntrock, who has incorporated video-projected digital animation into the play. Brew friend C. Edwards, who saw the play recently, says, “The original production in 1983 is good, but the video effects improve on the whole show, especially the second act. It’s the first time I’ve seen video projection used in a Broadway stage production that didn’t look cheap (like in the Johnny Cash musical, “Ring of Fire”). And it was nice to see someone integrate animation in with live performers in a stage musical.” A piece in last weekend’s New York Times offers comments from Buntrock and Sondheim about the production.

02/18/08  10:15am
NancyB says:

Mike Sporn, didn’t you produce the animation of Katz the Cat dancing onstage with Lauren Bacall for WOMAN OF THE YEAR back in 1980? I don’t remember that looking ‘cheap’. I guess it all depends on your definition of the term.

02/18/08  2:27pm
Gene Hole says:

sounds like the Gertie the Dinosaur vaudeville routine McCay used to do, a live performer interacting with a projection of an animated character…

02/18/08  6:22pm

I was referring to the use of digital effects to create the entire background of a stage production rather than using conventional full set pieces.

02/19/08  12:14pm
precode says:

I saw this technique used for the recent musical version of THE WOMAN IN WHITE, and it was fantastically effective.

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