No Ordinary 'Sunday' at Signature

Matthew Gardiner, the associate director of Virginia's Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre, had never met Broadway star Claybourne Elder ("Bonnie & Clyde") before the actor came into audition for the company's upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about the struggles of French painter Georges Seurat (and his fictional great-grandson) George.

But not surprisingly, these two singular artists soon learned they had something very much in common: a love for the show sparked by watching the PBS recording of its legendary 1984 Broadway production starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters (as Seurat's lover Dot and, in Act II, her daughter Marie). And once the pair began to work on the project, which begins an eight-week run on August 5, they both realized they had to find a way to put those memories in their proper place and make this production their own.

"When our artistic director, Eric Schaeffer, asked me to direct this, after I got over the shock, I had to spend some time putting away what Sondheim and Lapine had done," says Gardiner. "As an artist, I discovered that the theme of the show I really relate to is getting lost in the making of art and losing sight of the larger world while you're doing it," he says. "But I think the show also has something to say to everyone about the importance of maintaining connections and finding balance and harmony in one's life."

"I so relate to Seurat as an artist who is totally consumed by his work and sees the world pass him by," says Elder, who is married to Kansas City Rep artistic director Eric Rosen. "But I also know what it's like to be the George of the second act, to be an artist who is waiting for the next piece of inspiration to strike."

The chance to portray both of these characters is just one reason that Elder, who has previously starred in a number of Sondheim musicals, including the Off-Broadway premiere of "Road Show" at New York's Public Theatre, is so thrilled to be getting this particular opportunity. "It's not just that it's an exciting challenge, it's more like that if you've ever been in even one Sondheim musical, your wish is that you get to play George soon. It's the Hamlet of Sondheim shows. And usually, they find someone truly starry to play him. So I was excited and absolutely intimidated when I got this offer. In fact, on the first day of rehearsals, I literally couldn't stop crying. I finally had to text Matthew and say I would be fine in a few hours."

Elder had previously been to Chicago to see the artwork that inspired the show, "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," but he's nevertheless been diving into all sorts of all other research for this show. "I am a very nerdy person," he laughs. "There's no real biography of Seurat out there, but one of my closest friends has written a book that's full of stories about Seurat and his art, so I read that. And there's this artist who comes into rehearsals as a consultant, and I practice sketching and drawing with her, and then I practice some more when I get home. While in some ways, it's difficult to be away of New York and Eric, it's also wonderful, because I have nothing to do at night but get ready to do this show. I have plenty of time to memorize my lines and sing and read. "

The actor has nothing but praise for Gardiner - "he is so smart and is looking at this show with fresh eyes" - as well as his castmates, notably Brynn O'Malley, who plays Dot/Marie "We've known each other for years and did 'Into the Woods' together at Kansas City Rep, so we were both excited to do this together. It's really wonderful to have someone around you truly trust. It's a pretty dreamy situation."

While Signature has a strong relationship with Sondheim - not only has the theater done most of his shows, they also give out an annual "Stephen Sondheim Award" - neither Gardiner nor Elder expects to have any in-person contact with the master composer-lyricist. "Eric has had some conversations with him and passed through some questions I had, mostly about other productions, but I don't think he'll be around for rehearsals or even come down to see it," says Gardiner.

"When you create a piece from the ground up, you want the writers around to answer your questions, but in this case, it's nice not to have Stephen and James around staring at us," Elder says, with a slight chuckle. "The pressure is so much less because they're not here."