Sunday in the Park in Amsterdam

About 20 years ago I was at the National Theatre in London to see a production of "Sunday in the Park with George". I didn't know the piece, and didn't know much about Sondheim. The production blew me away. There was Maria Friedman, just perfect for the part, the setting and design just perfect, and the piece and the music itself. Some of the lyrics are forever in my mind, they just pop up at weird moments, for strange reasons. Like some other songs, actually, but that is another story.

Then this month the first professional Dutch production is on in Amsterdam, so I had to go and see it. It's part of the Sondheim festival, celebrating the man's 80th birthday. I cycled up to the M-lab, a wonderful place on the river IJ, a lovely view over the water. Like an island in the Seine maybe? I like the theatre, no frills, just seats and a stage, all attention going to the production. Like the Donmar.

Then the production. I enjoyed it, it moved me, and I was impressed by the performances and the translation. Sondheim's lyrics are hard to sing in English, so they cannot be easy in Dutch, and translating them must be a tough job. I know the lyrics well, and there were some very nice finds in the translation. The production was a little smaller than the London one, but no less effective, and the actors managed to fill the painting, even with a smaller group of characters.

It is such a beautifully constructed piece, obviously well thought out, and it all fits like the painting. But the piece also has a heart, a story, and characters to care about. That is what makes it special. You can admire what the mind has put together, and feel the emotion too. That is what makes it so perfect.

I loved the way the lead actors played the characters, the way the songs were sung. The passion that was in the piece. We need more Sondheim.