Sunday in the Park with George starring Jake Gyllenhaal postponed to 2021
The West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, which was due to open at London's Savoy Theatre on 5 June 2020, has now been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. SOLT (Society of London Theatre) announced today that theatres in London will remain closed until 28 June 2020, with some theatres potentially opening up in July or August following further government advice. Unfortunately, The Savoy will not be one of them and announced today that the production is working on scheduling new 2021 performance dates for Sunday in the Park in George, which will be confirmed in the coming weeks or months.
Stage imitates art in Sunday in the Park with George, which has now been postponed to 2021.
Sunday in the Park with George summer 2020 run postponed
Movie star Jake Gyllenhaal, who was due to headline the new production of Sunday, said: "Though it may not come as a surprise to many, we have been forced to postpone Sunday in The Park with George at the Savoy this summer. London is like a second home to me and I was so excited to be spending the season in that beautiful city finally bringing our production to the West End. But, in accordance with science, we're going to have to wait.
"We will find another Sunday to bring our Sunday to you before too long. Thank you to everyone who already bought tickets (all that will be handled, not to worry) and I hope to see you all in the theater when this moment has passed. Until then, please stay safe and don't worry: the beard will be back. Bigger and burlier than Broadway."
Meant to star opposite Gyllenhaal in Sarna Lapine's production of Sunday in the Park with George was Annaleigh Ashford, who along with Gyllenhaal also appeared in the 2017 New York Hudson Theatre production of the hit musical.
On the sad news of the show's postponement, Ashford added: "As we all do our part to make the world a safe place for ourselves and our neighbours, it is with a heavy heart that this production of Sunday In The Park With George is postponed. I believe at the end of this storm, we will be together again in "our perfect park" on a beautiful Sunday."
About the Sunday in the Park with George stage musical
Sunday in the Park with George is a Pulitzer Prize-winning musical that features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (Company) and a book by James Lapine. It centres on the French 19th-century painter Georges Seurat as he tries to complete his most famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The oil painting is noted as being one of the first to use the pointillist technique and became the archetype for Neo-Impressionist painting.
Sunday in the Park with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford: to be continued...
The musical first ran on Broadway back in 1984 and took home two Tony Awards and later two Olivier Awards when it transferred to London in 1990. The revival production was meant to mark the musical's 30th anniversary since its West End premiere. Now it will have to wait until the 31st anniversary, provided we don't just pretend that 2020 never happened. (Can we pretend though?)
Ticketholders for Sunday in the Park with George will be contacted by their point of sale in the coming weeks to arrange refunds or exchanges for the new run. Please advised that your tickets may, in fact, be valid for the new dates. This is a developing story.