Sunday in the Park with George is the original cast recording of the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim musical, first released on July 1, 1984.

Featuring music and lyrics by Sondheim, the album captures the emotional depth and artistic vision of Georges Seurat’s pointillist masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.

The production stars Mandy Patinkin as George and Bernadette Peters as Dot, delivering powerful performances that highlight the show’s central themes of art, legacy, and human connection.

Produced by Thomas Z. Shepard, the album preserves the original Broadway cast’s interpretation and has been celebrated for its lyrical complexity and musical innovation.

This blog showcases every track from this timeless recording and its impact on musical theatre.

1. Sunday in the Park with George

This opening number introduces Georges Seurat’s world as he sketches in the park, capturing movement and color.

The song blends structure and serenity, revealing George’s artistic obsession and the tension between vision and human connection.

Sunday in the Park with George Lyrics by Bernadette Peters & Mandy Patinkin

GEORGE, spoken

White. A blank page or canvas. 
The challenge: bring order to the whole. 
Through design
Composition
Tension
Balance
Light
And harmony. 

DOT, spoken

George. 
Why is it you always get to sit in the shade while I have to stand in the sun?
Hello, George?
There is someone in this dress!

(sung)

A trickle of sweat
The back of the head
He always does this—
Now the foot is dead
Sunday in the park with George
One more Su—

The collar is damp
Beginning to pinch
The bustle’s slipping—
I won’t budge one inch

Who was at the zoo, George?
Who was at the zoo?
The monkeys and who, George?
The monkeys and who?

GEORGE, spoken

Don’t move. 

DOT

Artists are bizarre. Fixed. Cold. 
That’s you, George, you’re bizarre. Fixed. Cold. 
I like that in a man. Fixed. Cold. 
God, it’s hot out here

Well, there are worse things
Than staring at the water on a Sunday
There are worse things
Than staring at the water
As you’re posing for a picture
Being painted by your lover
In the middle of the summer
On an island in the river
On a Sunday

The petticoat’s wet
Which adds to the weight
The sun is blinding
All right, concentrate

GEORGE, spoken

Eyes open, please. 

DOT

Sunday in the park with George!

GEORGE, spoken

Look out at the water, not at me

DOT

Sunday in the park with George!

Well, if you want bread
And respect and attention
Not to say connection
Modeling’s no profession

If you want instead
When you’re dead
Some more public and more permanent
Expression—
Of affection—
You want a painter
Poet
Sculptor, preferably
Marble, granite, bronze
Durable
Something nice with swans
That’s durable
Forever

All it has to be is good
And George, you’re good
You’re really good
George’s stroke is tender
George’s touch is pure

Your eyes, George
I love your eyes, George
I love your beard, George
I love your size, George
But most, George
Of all
But most of all
I love your painting…
I think I’m fainting…

The tip of a stay
Right under the tit
No, don’t give in, just—
Lift the arm a bit…

GEORGE, spoken
Don’t lift the arm, please. 

DOT

Sunday in the park with George!

GEORGE, spoken

The bustle high, please. 

DOT

Not even a nod
As if I were trees
The ground could open
He would still say, Please

Never know with you, George
Who could know with you?
The others I knew, George
Before we get through
I’ll get to you, too
God, I am so hot!

Well there are worse things
Than staring at the water on a Sunday
There are worse things
Than staring at the water
As you’re posing for a picture
After sleeping on the ferry
After getting up at seven
To come over to an island
In the middle of a river
Half an hour from the city
On a Sunday
On a Sunday in the park with—

GEORGE, spoken

Don’t move the mouth!

DOT

—George!

2. No Life

Dot laments the emptiness she feels being with George, whose entire world revolves around his painting. As she poses, he barely sees her as a person, instead reducing her to lines and shadows.

This brief yet poignant song highlights Dot’s growing sense of isolation and longing for more, establishing the emotional distance that defines their relationship despite her love for him.

No Life Lyrics by Charles Kimbrough & Dana Ivey

JULES, spoken

Ahh…

YVONNE, spoken

Ooh…

JULES, spoken

Mmm…

YVONNE, spoken

Oh, dear. 

JULES, spoken

Oh, my. 

YVONNE, spoken

Oh, my dear. 

JULES

It has no presence

YVONNE

No passion

JULES

No life
It’s neither pastoral
Nor lyrical

YVONNE

You don’t suppose that it’s satirical?

JULES, spoken

Mmm? Oh…
(sung)
Just density
Without intensity—

YVONNE

No life
(spoken)
Boys with their clothes off…

JULES, spoken

I must paint a factory next!

YVONNE

It’s so mechanical

JULES

Methodical

YVONNE

It might be in some dreary
Socialistic peri-
Odical

JULES, spoken

Good. 

YVONNE

So drab, so cold

JULES

And so controlled

JULES & YVONNE

No life

JULES, spoken

His touch is too deliberate, somehow. 

YVONNE, spoken

The dog. 

JULES

These things get hung—

YVONNE, spoken

Mmm. 

JULES

And then they’re gone

3. Color and Light

This intricate duet parallels George’s meticulous paint mixing with Dot’s ritualistic self-preparation.

The music mimics pointillism with staccato rhythms and fragmented phrases. Their separate but simultaneous activities reflect how they occupy the same space but are emotionally worlds apart.

It reveals George’s obsession with color and form and Dot’s desire for affection, intimacy, and acknowledgment in a life increasingly overshadowed by his work.

Color and Light Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin & Bernadette Peters

GEORGE, spoken

Order
Design
Composition
Tone
Form
Symmetry
Balance

GEORGE

More red…
And a little more red…
Blue blue blue blue
Blue blue blue blue
Even… even…
Good
Bumbum bum bumbumbum
Bumbum bum…
More red…
More blue…
More beer…

More light!
Color and light
There’s only color and light
Yellow and white
Just blue and yellow and white
Look at the air, miss—
See what I mean?
No, look over there, miss—
That’s done with green…
Conjoined with orange…

DOT, spoken

Nothing seems to fit me right. The less I wear, the more comfortable I feel. 

DOT

More rouge…

DOT, spoken

George is very special
Maybe I am just not special enough for him

DOT

If my legs were longer…
If my bust was smaller…
If my hands were graceful…
If my waist was thinner…
If my hips were flatter…
If my voice was warm…
If I could concentrate—

I’d be in the Follies!
I’d be in a cabaret!
Gentlemen in tall silk hats
And linen spats
Would wait with flowers
I could make them wait for hours
Giddy young aristocrats
With fancy flats
Would drink my health
And I would be as
Hard as nails…
And they’d only want me more—

If I was a Folly girl…
Nah, I wouldn’t like it much
Married men and stupid boys
And too much smoke and all that noise
And all that color and light…

GEORGE, spoken

Aren’t you proper today, miss?
Your parasol so properly cocked
Your bustle so perfectly upright
And you, sir
Your hat so black
So black to you, perhaps
So red to me

DOT

None of the others worked at night…

GEORGE, spoken

So composed for a Sunday

DOT

How do you work without the right—
Bright—
White—
Light?
How do you fathom George?

GEORGE

Red red red red
Red red orange
Red red orange
Orange pick up blue
Pick up red
Pick up orange
From the blue-green blue-green
Blue-green circle
On the violet diagonal
Di-ag-ag-ag-ag-ag-o-nal-nal
Yellow comma yellow comma
Numnum num numnumnum
Numnum num…

Blue blue blue blue
Blue still sitting
Red that perfume
Blue all night
Blue-green the window shut
Dut dut dut
Dot Dot sitting
Dot Dot waiting
Dot Dot getting fat fat fat
More yellow
Dot Dot waiting to go
Out out out
No no no George
Finish the hat finish the hat
Have to finish the hat first
Hat hat hat hat
Hot hot hot it’s hot in here…
Sunday!

Color and light!

DOT, spoken

But how George looks
He could look forever

GEORGE

There’s only color and light

DOT, spoken

As if he sees you and he doesn’t all at once

GEORGE

Purple and white…

DOT, spoken

What is he thinking when he looks like that?

GEORGE

…And red and purple and white!

DOT, spoken

What does he see?
Sometimes, not even blinking

GEORGE

Look at this glade, girls
Your cool blue spot

DOT, spoken

His eyes
So dark and shiny

GEORGE

No, stay in the shade, girls
It’s getting hot…

DOT, spoken

Some think cold and black

GEORGE

It’s getting orange…

DOT

But it’s warm inside his eyes…

GEORGE

Hotter…

DOT

And it’s soft inside his eyes…
And he burns you with his eyes…

GEORGE, spoken

Look at her looking

DOT

And you’re studied like the light

GEORGE, spoken

Forever with that mirror
What does she see?

DOT

And you look inside the eyes

GEORGE, spoken

The pink lips, the red cheeks…

DOT

And you catch him here and there

GEORGE, spoken

The wide eyes
Tudying the round face, the tiny pout…

DOT

But he’s never really there

GEORGE

Seeing all the parts and none of the whole

DOT

So you want him even more

GEORGE

But the way she catches light…

DOT

And you drown inside the eyes…

GEORGE

And the color of her hair…

GEORGE & DOT

I could look at her / him forever…

GEORGE, spoken

It’s going well

DOT, spoken

Should I wear my red dress or blue?

GEORGE, spoken

Red

DOT, spoken

Aren’t you going to clean up?

GEORGE, spoken

Why?

DOT, spoken

The Follies, George!

GEORGE, spoken

I have to finish the hat

Damn!
The Follies
Will she yell or stay silent?
Go without me or sulk in the corner?
Will she be in the bed when the hat and the grass
And the parasol have finally found their way?

GEORGE

Too green

GEORGE, spoken

Do I care?

GEORGE

Too blue

GEORGE, spoken

Yes

GEORGE

Too soft

GEORGE, spoken

What should I do?
Well…
Red

4. Gossip

In a lively ensemble number, onlookers in the park engage in speculation, commentary, and judgment about George and Dot.

The music mimics the rhythm of idle chatter, filled with superficial observations and whispered opinions.

Through satire, the song paints a vivid picture of societal pettiness and the critical nature of public life, contrasting George’s artistic ambition with the conventional norms and values of bourgeois society.

Gossip Lyrics by Melanie Vaughan, Mary D’Arcy, and Other Members  

CELESTE #1

They say that George has another woman

CELESTE #2

I’m not surprised

CELESTE #1

They say that George only lives with tramps

CELESTE #2

I’m not surprised

CELESTE #1

They say he prowls through the streets
In his top hat after midnight—

CELESTE #2, spoken

No!

CELESTE #1

—And stands there staring up at the lamps

CELESTE #2

I’m not surprised

CELESTES #1 & #2

Artists are so crazy…

OLD LADY

Those girls are noisy

NURSE, spoken

Yes, Madame. 

OLD LADY

That man is famous

NURSE, spoken

Yes, Madame. 

OLD LADY

That man is filthy

NURSE, spoken

Your son seems to find him interesting. 

OLD LADY

That man’s deluded

CELESTES #1 & #2

Artists are so crazy

OLD LADY & NURSE

Artists are so peculiar

CELESTE #1

Slouching…

BOATMAN

Over-privileged women
Complaining
Silly little simpering
Shopgirls
Condescending artists
Observing,
Perceiving…
Well, screw them!

CELESTES #1 & #2, OLD LADY, NURSE & BOATMAN

Artists are so—

CELESTE #2

—Crazy

CELESTE #1

—Secretive

BOATMAN

—High and mighty

NURSE

—Interesting

OLD LADY, spoken

—Unfeeling

5. The Day Off

Sung humorously from the point of view of a dog named Franz, this quirky number offers comic relief while subtly reflecting George’s feelings of loyalty, routine, and repetition.

The canine’s grievances about life mirror George’s own monotony and emotional constraints. Though playful on the surface, the song provides a surprising emotional parallel to the artist’s isolation and the human need for recognition and care.

The Day Off Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Vanessa Williams, and Other Members

If the head was smaller…
If the tail were longer…
If he faced the water…
If the paws were hidden…
If the neck was darker…
If the back was curved…
More like the parasol…

Bumbum bum bumbumbum
Bumbum bum…

More shade…
More tail…
More grass!…
Would you like some more grass?
Mmmm…

SPOT (GEORGE)

Ruff! Ruff!
Thanks, the week has been rough!
When you’re stuck for life on a garbage scow
Only forty feet long from stern to prow
And a crackpot in the bow—wow, rough!
The planks are rough
And the wind is rough
And the master’s drunk and mean and—
Grrrruff! Gruff!

With the fish and scum
And planks and ballast
The nose gets numb
And the paws get callused
And with splinters in your ass
You look forward to the grass
On Sunday
The day off
Off! Off! Off!
Off!

(spoken)
The grass needs to be thicker. Perhaps a few weeds. And some ants, if you would. I love fresh ants. 

(sung)
Roaming around on Sunday
Poking among the roots and rocks
Nose to the ground on Sunday
Studying all the shoes and socks
Everything’s worth it Sunday
The day off

Bits of pastry…
Piece of chicken…
Here’s a handkerchief
That somebody was sick in
There’s a thistle…
That’s a shallot…
That’s a dripping
From the loony with the palette

FIFI (GEORGE)

Yap! Yap!
Yap!
Out for the day on Sunday
Off of the lady’s lap at last
Yapping away on Sunday
Helps you forget the week just past
Yep! Yep!
Everything’s worth it Sunday
The day off
Yep!
Stuck all week on a lady’s lap
Nothing to do but yawn and nap
Can you blame me if I yap?

SPOT, spoken

Nope. 

FIFI, spoken

There’s only so much attention a dog can take. 
(sung)
Being alone on Sunday
Rolling around in mud and dirt—

SPOT

Begging a bone on Sunday
Settling for a spoiled dessert—

FIFI

Everything’s worth it

SPOT

Sunday

FIFI

The day off

SPOT

Something fuzzy…

FIFI

Something furry…

SPOT

Something pink
That someone tore off in a hurry…

FIFI

What’s the muddle
In the middle?

SPOT

That’s the puddle
Where the poodle
Did the piddle

GEORGE

Taking the day on Sunday
Now that the dreary week is dead
Getting away on Sunday
Brightens the dreary week ahead
Everyone’s on display on Sunday—

ENSEMBLE

The day off!

GEORGE

Bonnet flapping
Bustle sliding
Like a rocking horse that nobody’s been riding
There’s a daisy…
And some clover…
And that interesting fellow looking over…

OLD LADY, spoken

Nurse!

NURSE & GEORGE

One day is much like any other
Listening to her snap and drone

NURSE

Still, Sunday with someone’s dotty mother
Is better then Sunday with your own

Mothers may drone, mothers may whine—
Tending to his, though, is perfectly fine
It pays for the nurse that is tending to mine
On Sunday—
My day off

FRIEDA, spoken

You know, Franz, I believe that artist is drawing us. 

FRANZ, spoken

Who?

FRIEDA, spoken

Monsieur’s friend. 

FRANZ, spoken

Monsieur would never think to draw us! We are only people he looks down upon. 

GEORGE & FRIEDA

Second bottle…

GEORGE & FRANZ

Ah, she looks for me…

FRIEDA

He is bursting to go…

FRANZ

Near the fountain…

FRIEDA

I could let him…

FRANZ

How to manage it?

FRIEDA

No

FRANZ, spoken

I should have been an artist. I was never intended for work. 

FRIEDA, spoken

Artists work, Franz. I believe they work very hard. 

FRANZ, spoken

Work!… We work. 

(sung)
We serve their food
We carve their meat
We tend to their house
We polish their
Silverware

FRIEDA

The food we serve
We also eat

FRANZ

For them we rush
Wash and brush
Wipe and wax—

FRIEDA

Franz, relax

FRANZ

While he creates
We scrape their plates
And dust their knickknacks
Hundreds to the shelf
Work is what you do for others
Liebchen
Art is what you do for yourself

CELESTE #1, spoken

Look!

CELESTE #2, spoken

Where?

CELESTE #1, spoken

Soldiers. 

CELESTE #2, spoken

Alone. 

SOLDIER, spoken

What do you think? I like the one in the light hat. 

SOLDIER & GEORGE

Mademoiselles
I and my friend
We are but soldiers!

SOLDIER

Passing the time
In between wars
For weeks at an end

CELESTE #1

Both of them are perfect

CELESTE #2

You can have the other

CELESTE #1

I don’t want the other

CELESTE #2

I don’t want the other either

SOLDIER

And after a week
Spent mostly indoors
With nothing but soldiers
Ladies, I and my friend
Trust we will not offend
Which we’d never intend
By suggesting we spend—

CELESTES

Oh, spend—!

SOLDIER

This magnificent Sunday—

CELESTES

Oh, Sunday—

SOLDIER

With you and your friend

CELESTE #2

The one on the right’s an awful bore

CELESTE #1

He’s been in a war

SOLDIER

We may get a meal and we might get more…

CELESTES & SOLDIER

It’s certainly fine for Sunday…
It’s certainly fine for Sunday…
It’s certainly fine for Sunday…

GEORGE & BOATMAN

You and me, pal
We’re the loonies
Did you know that?
Bet you didn’t know that

BOATMAN

‘Cause we tell them the truth!
Who you drawing?
Who the hell you think you’re drawing?
Me?
You don’t know me!
Go on drawing
Since you’re drawing only what you want to see
Anyway!

One eye, no illusion—
That you get with two
One for what is true
One for what suits you
Draw your wrong conclusion
All you artists do
I see what is true…

ENSEMBLE

Taking the day on Sunday
After another week is dead

OLD LADY, spoken

Nurse!

ENSEMBLE

Getting away on Sunday
Brightens the dreary week ahead

OLD LADY, spoken

Nurse!

ENSEMBLE

Leaving the city pressure
Behind you
Off where the air is fresher
Where green, blue
Blind you—

6. Everybody Loves Louis

George roams the park on his day off, sketching people and imagining their inner lives.

Each character is vividly represented through musical motifs and lyrical fragments, revealing the diversity of human expression.

Though intended to be a break, the day becomes another exploration of work through observation.

The song exemplifies how George never truly detaches from art, even during moments meant for rest.

Everybody Loves Louis Lyrics by Bernadette Peters

DOT

Hello, George…
Where did you go, George?
I know you’re near, George
I caught your eyes, George
I want your ear, George
I’ve a surprise, George…

Everybody loves Louis
Louis’s simple and kind
Everybody loves Louis
Louis’s lovable
Seems we never know, do we
Who we’re going to find?
And Louis the baker—
Is not what I had in mind
But…

Louis’s really an artist
Louis’s cakes are an art
Louis isn’t the smartest—
Louis’s popular
Everybody loves Louis
Louis bakes from the heart…

The bread, George
I mean the bread, George
And then in bed, George…
I mean he kneads me—
I mean like dough, George…
Hello, George…

Louis’s always so pleasant
Louis’s always so fair
Louis makes you feel present
Louis’s generous
That’s the thing about Louis
Louis always is there
Louis’s thoughts are not hard to follow
Louis’s art is not hard to swallow

Not that Louis’s perfection—
That’s what makes him ideal
Hardly anything worth objection
Louis drinks a bit
Louis blinks a bit
Louis makes a connection
That’s the thing that you feel…

We lose things
And then we choose things
And there are Louis’s
And there are Georges—
Well, Louis’s
And George

But George has George
And I need someone—
Louis…

Everybody loves Louis
Him as well as his cakes
Everybody loves Louis
Me included, George
Not afraid to be gooey
Louis sells what he makes
Everybody gets along him
That’s the trouble
Nothing’s wrong with him

Louis has to bake his way
George can only bake his

Louis it is!

7. Finishing the Hat

Dot, now involved with Louis, the baker, rationalizes her decision by praising his kindness and stability.

Through jaunty rhythms and witty lyrics, she tries to convince herself that Louis’s practicality makes him the right choice, even if she still longs for George.

The song captures Dot’s emotional compromise—choosing safety over passion—and reveals the bittersweet cost of giving up on an unfulfilled love.

Finishing the Hat Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin

GEORGE

Mademoiselles…
You and me, pal…
Second bottle…
Ah, she looks for me…
Bonnet flapping…
Yapping…
Ruff!…
Chicken…
Pastry…

Yes, she looks for me
Good
Let her look for me to tell me why she left me—
As I always knew she would
I had thought she understood
They have never understood
And no reason that they should
But if anybody could…

Finishing the hat
How you have to finish the hat
How you watch the rest of the world
From a window
While you finish the hat

Mapping out a sky
What you feel like, planning a sky
What you feel when voices that come
Through the window
Go
Until they distance and die
Until there’s nothing but sky

And how you’re always turning back too late
From the grass or the stick
Or the dog or the light
How the kind of woman willing to wait’s
Not the kind that you want to find waiting
To return you to the night
Dizzy from the height
Coming from the hat

Studying the hat
Entering the world of the hat
Reaching through the world of the hat
Like a window
Back to this one from that

Studying a face
Stepping back to look at a face
Leaves a little space in the way like a window
But to see—
It’s the only way to see

And when the woman that you wanted goes
You can say to yourself, Well, I give what I give
But the woman who won’t wait for you knows
That however you live
There’s a part of you always standing by
Mapping out the sky
Finishing a hat
Starting on a hat
Finishing a hat…
Look, I made a hat…
Where there never was a hat

8. We Do Not Belong Together

One of the most emotionally resonant songs in the show, George reflects on the loneliness of creation. He explains how making art often means cutting oneself off from life and people.

The titular “hat” becomes a symbol of focused detachment. The melody, both melancholic and precise, mirrors George’s struggle to balance artistic perfection with human need and the sacrifice that often defines genius.

We Do Not Belong Together Lyrics by Bernadette Peters & Mandy Patinkin

DOT, spoken

Yes, George, run to your work
Hide behind your painting
I’ve come to tell you I am leaving because I thought you might care to know
Foolish of me, because you care about nothing

GEORGE, spoken

I care about many things—

DOT, spoken

Things—not people

GEORGE, spoken

People, too
I cannot divide my feelings up as neatly as you
And I am not hiding behind my canvas—I am living in it 

DOT

What you care for is yourself

GEORGE, spoken

I care for this painting
You will be in this painting

DOT

I am something you can use

GEORGE

I had thought you understood

DOT

It’s because I understand that I left
That I am leaving

GEORGE

Then there’s nothing I can say
Is there?

DOT

Yes. George, there is:
You could tell me not to go
Say it to me
Tell me not to go
Tell me that you’re hurt
Tell me you’re relieved
Tell me that you’re bored—
Anything, but don’t assume I know
Tell me what you feel!

GEORGE

What I feel?
You know exactly how I feel
Why do you insist
You must hear the words
When you know I cannot give you words?
Not the ones you need

There’s nothing to say
I cannot be what you want

DOT

What do you want, George?

GEORGE

I needed you and you left

DOT

There was no room for me-

GEORGE

You will not accept who I am
I am what I do—
Which you knew
Which you always knew
Which I thought you were a part of!

DOT

No
You are complete, George
You are your own
We do not belong together

You are complete, George
You all alone
I am unfinished
I am diminished
With or without you

We do not belong together
And we should have belonged together
What made it so right together
Is what made it all wrong

No one is you, George
There we agree
But others will do, George

No one is you and
No one can be
But no one is me, George
No one is me!
We do not belong together
And we’ll never belong—!

You have a mission
A mission to see
Now I have one too, George
And we should have belonged together

I have to move on

9. Beautiful

This confrontation between George and Dot marks the breaking point in their relationship. Dot, pregnant and heartbroken, decides to leave, knowing George is incapable of change.

Their duet—emotionally raw and harmonically dissonant—conveys deep pain and resignation. It’s not a song of anger but of acceptance, emphasizing how even love cannot survive when needs go unmet and emotional connection is repeatedly denied.

Beautiful Lyrics by Barbara Bryne & Mandy Patinkin

OLD LADY

Changing
It keeps changing
I see towers
Where there were trees

Going
All the stillness
The solitude
Georgie

Sundays
Disappearing
All the time
When things were beautiful…

GEORGE

All things are beautiful
Mother
All trees, all towers
Beautiful
That tower—
Beautiful, Mother
See?
A perfect tree

Pretty isn’t beautiful, Mother
Pretty is what changes
What the eye arranges
Is what is beautiful

OLD LADY

Fading…

GEORGE

I’m changing…
You’re changing…

OLD LADY

It keeps fading…

GEORGE

I’ll draw us now before we fade
Mother

OLD LADY

It keeps melting before our eyes

GEORGE

You watch
While I revise the world

OLD LADY

Changing
As we sit here—
Quick, draw it all, Georgie!

OLD LADY & GEORGE

Sundays

OLD LADY

Disappearing
As we look

GEORGE

Look!…
Look!…

OLD LADY

You make it beautiful
(spoken)
Oh, Georgie, how I long for the old view. 

10. Sunday

George walks with his aging mother and listens to her lament the transformation of the natural world.

Through gentle harmonies and evocative language, the song discusses memory, legacy, and the evolution of art and environment. George focused on the future, in contrast to his mother’s nostalgia.

Their conversation reveals generational shifts in understanding beauty, serving as a quiet meditation on time and artistic permanence.

Sunday Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin

OLD LADY, spoken

Remember, George. 

GEORGE, spoken

Order. 
Design. 
Tension. 
Balance. 
Harmony. 

COMPANY

Sunday
By the blue
Purple yellow red water
On the green
Purple yellow red grass
Let us pass
Through our perfect park

Pausing on a Sunday
By the cool
Blue triangular water
On the soft
Green elliptical grass
As we pass
Through arrangements of shadows
Towards the verticals of trees
Forever…

By the blue
Purple yellow red water
On the green
Orange violet mass
Of the grass
In our perfect park

GEORGE

Made of flecks of light
And dark

MEN

And parasols…

GEORGE

Bumbum bum bumbumbum
Bumbum bum…

COMPANY

People strolling through the trees
Of a small suburban park
On an island in the river
On an ordinary Sunday…
Sunday…
Sunday..

11. It’s Hot Up Here

Opening Act II, the characters from George’s painting break the fourth wall to complain about being frozen in time.

The song is comic and self-aware, filled with playful complaints about discomfort and artistic choices.

Yet, beneath the humor lies a deeper message about the price of being immortalized—how art both captures and imprisons. It’s a witty but poignant commentary on legacy and stasis.

It’s Hot Up Here Lyrics by Sunday in the Park with George Ensemble

DOT

It’s hot up here

YVONNE

It’s hot and it’s monotonous

LOUISE

I want my glasses

FRANZ

This is not my good profile

NURSE, spoken

Nobody can even see my profile. 

CELESTE #1

I hate this dress

CELESTE #2

The soldiers have forgotten us

FRIEDA

The boatman schvitzes

JULES, spoken

I am completely out of proportion. 

SOLDIER

These helmets weigh a lot on us

OLD LADY

This tree is blocking my view

LOUISE

I can’t see anything

BOATMAN

Why are they complaining?
It could have been raining

DOT

I hate these people

ALL

It’s hot up here
A lot up here
It’s hot up here
Forever

A lot of fun
It’s not up here
It’s hot up here
No matter what

There’s not a breath
Of air up here
And they’re up here
Forever

It’s not my fault
I got up here
I’ll rot up here
I am so hot up here

YVONNE, spoken

Darling, don’t clutch Mother’s hand quite so tightly. 
Thank you. 

CELESTE #1

It’s hot up here

FRIEDA

At least you have a parasol

SOLDIER, NURSE, YVONNE & LOUISE

Well, look who’s talking
Sitting in the shade

JULES, spoken

I trust my cigar is not bothering you.—unfortunately, it never goes out. 

SOLDIER, (to COMPANION)

It’s good to be together again

CELESTE #2

See, I told you they were odd

CELESTE #1

Don’t slouch

LOUISE

He took my glasses!

YVONNE

You’ve been eating something sticky

NURSE

I put on rouge today, too…

FRIEDA

Don’t you ever take a bath?

OLD LADY

Nurse! Hand me my fan

NURSE

I can’t

FRANZ

At least the brat is with her mother

LOUISE

I heard that!

JULES (to DOT)

Do you like tall grass?

FRIEDA

Hah!

YVONNE

Jules!

BOATMAN

Bunch of animals…

DOT

I hate these people

ALL

It’s hot up here
And strange up here
No change up here
Forever

How still it is
How odd it is
And God, it is
So hot!

SOLDIER, spoken

I like the one in the light hat.

DOT

Hello, George
I do not wish to be remembered
Like this, George
With them, George
My hem, George
Three inches off the ground
And then this monkey
And these people, George—!

They’ll argue till they fade
And whisper things and grunt
But thank you for the shade
And putting me in front
Yes, thank you, George, for that—
And for the hat…

CELESTE #1

It’s hot up here

YVONNE

It’s hot and it’s monotonous

LOUISE

I want my glasses!

FRANZ

This is not my good profile

CELESTE #1

I hate this dress

DOT

It’s hot up here

CELESTE #2

The soldiers have forgotten us

FRIEDA

Don’t you ever take a bath?

YVONNE

It’s hot and it’s monotonous

LOUISE

He took my glasses, I want my glasses!

BOATMAN

Animals…

SOLDIER

It’s good to be together again

JULES

Are you sure you don’t like tall grass?

OLD LADY

Nurse! Hand me my fan

FRANZ

This is not my good profile

ALL

And furthermore
Finding you’re
Fading
Is very degrading
And God I am so hot!

Well, there are worse things than sweating
By a river on a Sunday
There are worse things than sweating by a river—

BOATMAN

When you’re sweating in a picture
That was painted by a genius—

FRANZ

And you know that you’re immortal—

FRIEDA

And you’ll always be remembered—

NURSE

Even if they never see you—

OLD LADY

And you’re listening to drivel—

SOLDIER

And you’re part of your companion—

LOUISE

And your glasses have been stolen—

YVONNE

And you’re bored beyond endurance—

LOUIS

And the baby has no diapers—

CELESTE #1 (to CELESTE #2)

And you’re slouching—!

CELESTE #2

I am not—!

JULES

And you are out of all proportion—

DOT

And I hate these people!

ALL

You never get
A breeze up here
And she’s (he’s) up here
Forever

You cannot run
Amuck up here
You’re stuck up here
In this gavotte

Perspectives don’t
Make sense up here
It’s tense up here
Forever

The outward show
Of bliss up here
Is disappear-
Ing dot by dot

And it’s hot!

12. Chromolume #7 / Putting It Together

Set in the 1980s, George’s modern descendant unveils an abstract light sculpture.

The following number, “Putting It Together,” is a fast-paced, patter-filled breakdown of the pressures of being an artist in a commercial world.

George navigates wealthy donors, curators, and critics, struggling to maintain artistic integrity.

The frenetic pace reflects how creativity often clashes with commerce in the modern art landscape.

Chromolume #7 / Putting It Together Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, and Other Members

HARRIET

I mean, I don’t understand completely—

BILLY

I’m not surprised

HARRIET

But he combines all these different trends

BILLY

I’m not surprised

HARRIET

You can’t divide art today into categories neatly—

BILLY, spoken

Oh. 

HARRIET

What matters is the means, not the ends

BILLY

I’m not surprised

HARRIET & BILLY

That is the state of the art, my dear
That is the state of the art

BOB GREENBERG

It’s not enough knowing good from rotten–

CHARLES REDMOND

You’re telling me

GREENBERG

When something new pops up every day

REDMOND

You’re telling me

GREENBERG

It’s only new, though, for now—

REDMOND

Nouveau

GREENBERG

But yesterday’s forgotten

REDMOND

And tomorrow is already passé

GREENBERG

There’s no surprise

REDMOND & GREENBERG

That is the state of the art, my friend
That is the state of the art

BETTY

He’s an original

ALEX, spoken

Was. 

NAOMI

I like the images

ALEX, spoken

Some. 

BETTY

Come on, you had your moment
Now it’s George’s turn

ALEX

It’s George’s turn?
I wasn’t talking turns
I’m talking art

BETTY

Don’t you think he’s original?

NAOMI

Well, yes

BETTY

You’re talking crap

ALEX

But is it really new?

NAOMI

Well, no…

ALEX

His own collaborator—!

BETTY

It’s more than novelty

NAOMI

Well, yes…

BETTY

It’s just impersonal, but—

ALEX

It’s all promotion, but—

ALEX & BETTY

That is the state of the art
Isn’t it?

NAOMI, spoken

Well…

BILLY

Art isn’t easy

HARRIET

Even when you’ve amassed it

BETTY

Fighting for prizes—

GREENBERG

No one can be an oracle

REDMOND

Art isn’t easy

ALEX

Suddenly, you’re past it

NAOMI

All compromises—

HARRIET

And then when it’s allegorical—!

REDMOND & GREENBERG

Art isn’t easy—

BETTY & ALEX

Art isn’t easy—

NAOMI, HARRIET & BILLY

Art isn’t easy—

ALL

Any way you look at it!

GREENBERG, spoken

Here’s George now!

GEORGE

All right, George
As long as it’s your night, George—
You know what’s in the room, George:
Another Chromolume, George
It’s time to get to work…

GREENBERG, spoken

George! I want you to meet one of our board members. This is Harriet Pawling. 

HARRIET, spoken

What a pleasure! And this is my friend, Billy Webster. 

BILLY, spoken

How do you do. 

GREENBERG, spoken

Well, I’ll just leave you three to chat. 

HARRIET, spoken

Oh…

GEORGE

Say cheese, George
And put them at their ease, George
You’re up on the trapeze, George
Machines don’t grow on trees, George
Start putting it together…

HARRIET, spoken

This is the third piece of yours I’ve seen. They are getting so large!

GEORGE

Art isn’t easy
Even when you’re hot

BILLY, spoken

Are these inventions of yours one of a kind?

GEORGE

Advancing art is easy—

(spoken)

Yes. 

(sung)

Financing it is not

GEORGE

A vision’s just a vision
If it’s only in your head
If no one gets to see it
It’s as good as dead
It has to come to light!
(spoken)
I put the names of my contributors on the side of each machine. 

HARRIET, spoken

How clever!

GEORGE

Bit by bit
Putting it together
Piece by piece—
Only way to make a work of art
Every moment makes a contribution
Every little detail plays a part
Having just the vision’s no solution
Everything depends on execution
Putting it together
That’s what counts!

HARRIET, spoken

The Board of the Foundation is meeting next week…

GEORGE

Ounce by ounce
Putting it together

HARRIET, spoken

You’ll come to lunch. 

GEORGE

Small amounts
Adding up to make a work of art
First of all you need a good foundation
Otherwise it’s risky from the start
Takes a little cocktail conversation
But without the proper preparation
Having just the vision’s no solution
Everything depends on execution
The art of making art
Is putting it together
Bit by bit

REDMOND, spoken

Oh, we haven’t met. Charles Redmond, County Museum of Texas. I wanted you to know we’re in the process of giving out some sizable commissions—

GEORGE

Link by link
Making the connections

REDMOND, spoken

I hope you don’t mind my bringing up business during a social occasion.

GEORGE

Drink by drink
Fixing and perfecting the design
Adding just a dab of politician
(Always knowing where to draw the line)
Lining up the funds, but in addition
Lining up a prominent commission
Otherwise your perfect composition
Isn’t going to get much exhibition

Art isn’t easy
Every minor detail
Is a major decision
Have to keep things in scale
Have to hold to your vision

Every time I start to feel defensive
I remember lasers are expensive 
What’s a little cocktail conversation
If it’s going to get you your foundation
Leading to a prominent commission
And an exhibition in addition?

ALL

Art isn’t easy—

ALEX & BETTY

Trying to make connections

ALL

Who understands it?

HARRIET & BILLY

Difficult to evaluate

ALL

Art isn’t easy

GREENBERG & REDMOND

Trying to form collections

ALL

Always in transit

NAOMI

And then when you have to collaborate—!

ALL

Art isn’t easy
Any way you look at it!

RANDOLPH, spoken

George, hello. Lee Randolph. I handle the public relations for the museum. 

GEORGE

Dot by dot
Building up the image

RANDOLPH, spoken

There’s a lot of opportunity for some fine press here. 

GEORGE

Shot by shot—
Keeping at a distance doesn’t pay
Still, if you remember your objective
Not give all your privacy away
A little bit of hype can be effective
Long as you can keep it in perspective
After all, without some recognition
No one’s going to give you a commission

Art isn’t easy
Overnight you’re a trend
You’re the right combination
Then the trend’s at an end
You’re suddenly last year’s sensation

If you feel a sense of coalition
Then you never really stand alone
If you want your work to reach fruition
What you need’s a link with your tradition
And of course a prominent commission
Plus a little formal recognition
So that you can go on exhibit—
So that your work can go on exhibition

BLAIR, spoken

There’s the man of the hour. 

GEORGE, spoken

Blair! Hello. I read your piece on neo-expressionism—

BLAIR, spoken

Good for you!

GEORGE, spoken

Well, what did you think?

BLAIR, spoken

George. Chromolume number seven?

GEORGE

Be nice, George…

BLAIR, spoken

I was hoping it would be a series of three—four at the most. 

GEORGE

You have to pay a price, George

BLAIR, spoken

I’ve touted your work from the beginning, you know that. 

GEORGE

They like to give advice, George

BLAIR, spoken

You were really onto something with these light machines—once. 

GEORGE

Don’t think about it twice, George…

BLAIR, spoken

Now they’re just becoming more and more about less and less. 

GEORGE, spoken

I disagree. 

BLAIR, spoken

Now don’t get me wrong. You’re a talented guy. But I think you’re capable of far more. 

GEORGE

Be new, George
They tell you till they’re blue, George

BLAIR, spoken

Not that you couldn’t succeed by doing Chromolume after Chromolume—but there are new discoveries to be made, George. 

GEORGE

You’re new or else you’re through, George
And even if it’s true, George
You do what you can do…

Bit by bit
Putting it together
Piece by piece
Working out the vision night and day
All it takes is time and perseverance
With a little luck along the way
Putting in a personal appearance
Gathering supporters and adherents—

HARRIET

But he combines all these different trends—

GEORGE

Mapping out the right configuration
Starting with a suitable foundation—

BETTY

He’s an original—

ALEX, spoken

Was. 

GEORGE

Lining up a prominent commission 
And an exhibition in addition—
Here a little dab of politician

BETTY

I like those images

GEORGE

There a little touch of publication

ALEX

Some

BETTY

They’re just his personal response

ALEX

To what?

BETTY

The painting! 

GEORGE

Till you have a balanced composition

ALEX

Bullshit. Anyway, the painting’s overrated—

GREENBERG

It’s only new, though, for now

BETTY

Overrated? It’s a masterpiece!

GEORGE

Everything depends on preparation

REDMOND

Nouveau

ALEX

A masterpiece? Historically important, maybe—

GREENBERG & REDMOND

And yesterday’s forgotten

BETTY

Oh, now you’re judging Seurat, are you? 

GEORGE

Even if you do have the suspicion

ALEX

All it is is pleasant, just like George’s work

BETTY

It’s just your jealousy of George’s work

HARRIET

You can’t divide art today

REDMOND

And you can’t tell good from rotten and—

ALEX

No nuance, no resonance, no relevance—

BETTY

There’s nuance, and there’s resonance, there’s relevance—

GEORGE

That it’s taking all your concentration

BILLY

I’m not surprised

OTHERS

Most art today

GREENBERG & REDMOND

Today it’s all a matter of promotion

ALEX

There’s not much point in arguing

HARRIET

Go with it

BETTY

No point in arguing

OTHERS

Is a matter of promotion, but then—

GEORGE

The art of making art

ALEX

Besides it’s all promotion, but then—

BETTY

You say it’s all promotion, but then—

HARRIET and BILLY

What will they think of next?

ALL BUT GEORGE

That is the state of the art

GEORGE

Is putting it together

ALL BUT GEORGE

And art isn’t easy…

GEORGE

Bit by bit
Link by link
Drink by drink
Mink by mink

ALL

And that
Is the state of the—
Art!

14. Children and Art

George speaks with his grandmother, Marie, who reminisces about her mother, Dot, and George Seurat.

The song gently asserts that what survives in life is not just artwork but children and personal connections.

Marie’s reflections serve as a bridge between generations, reminding modern George that true legacy involves both creation and compassion.

The tender melody reinforces the theme of human continuity through the power of memory and love.

Children and Art Lyrics by Bernadette Peters & Mandy Patinkin

MARIE

You would have liked him
Mama, you would
Mama, he makes things
Mama, they’re good
Just as you said from the start
Children and art…
Children and art…

He should be happy
Mama, he’s blue
What do I do?
You should have seen it
It was a sight
Mama, I mean it—
All color and light!

I don’t understand what it was
But, Mama, the things that he does—!
They twinkle and shimmer and buzz
You would have liked them…
(spoken)
It…
Him…
Henry, Henry, Henry…

GEORGE, spoken

It’s George, grandmother. 

MARIE, spoken

Of course it is. I thought you were your father for a moment. Did I tell you who that was?

GEORGE, spoken

Of course. That is your mother. 

MARIE

Isn’t she beautiful? There she is—
There she is, there she is, there she is
Mama is everywhere
He must have loved her so much…

GEORGE, spoken

Is she really in all those places, Marie?

MARIE

This is our family, this is the lot
After I go, this is all that you’ve got
Honey
Wasn’t she beautiful, though?

You would have liked her
Mama did things
No one had done
Mama was funny
Mama was fun
Mama spent money
When she had none

Mama said, Honey
Mustn’t be blue
It’s not so much do what you like
As it is that you like what you do
Mama said, Darling
Don’t make such a drama
A little less thinking
A little more feeling—
I’m just quoting Mama…

The child is so sweet
And the girls are so rapturous
Isn’t it lovely how artists can capture us?

GEORGE, spoken

Yes it is, Marie. 

MARIE

You would have liked her—
Honey, I’m wrong
You would have loved her
Mama enjoyed things
Mama was smart
See how she shimmers—
I mean from the heart

I know, honey, you don’t agree
But this is our family tree
Just wait till we’re there, and you’ll see—
Listen to me…

Mama was smart…
Listen to Mama…
Children and art…
Children and art…

(spoken)
Goodbye Mama. 

15. Lesson #8

As the contemporary George reflects on his confusion and creative stagnation, he tries to apply lessons from his ancestor’s life.

This introspective solo questions the value of repetition, innovation, and identity. The sparse music echoes George’s emotional vulnerability and professional uncertainty.

It’s a quiet turning point where reflection leads to renewal, suggesting that learning through lineage can help break the paralysis of doubt.

Lesson #8 Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin

GEORGE

Charles has a book…
Charles shows them his crayons…
Marie has the ball of Charles…
Good for Marie…
Charles misses his ball…
George misses Marie
George misses a lot
George is alone

George looks around
He sees the park
It is depressing
George looks ahead
George sees the dark
George feels afraid
Where are the people
Out strolling on Sunday?

George looks within:
George is adrift
George goes by guessing
George looks behind:
He had a gift
When did it fade?
You wanted people out
Strolling on Sunday—
Sorry, Marie…

See George remember how George used to be
Stretching his vision in every direction
See George attempting to see a connection
When all he can see
Is maybe a tree
The family tree—
Sorry, Marie…

George is afraid
George sees the park
George sees it dying
George too may fade
Leaving no mark
Just passing through
Just like the people
Out strolling on Sunday…

George looks around
George is alone
No use denying
George is aground
George has outgrown
What he can do
George would have liked to see
People out strolling on Sunday…

16. Move On

In a vision, Dot returns to encourage the modern George to take risks and trust himself. Their soaring duet is a declaration of faith in forward motion, even when clarity is elusive.

“Move On” blends poetic lyrics with heartfelt emotion, offering resolution and inspiration. It becomes the musical and emotional climax of the show, affirming that progress in life and art requires courage and belief.

Move On by Bernadette Peters & Mandy Patinkin

DOT, spoken

Are you working on something new?

GEORGE, spoken

No. 

DOT, spoken

That is not like you, George. 

GEORGE

I’ve nothing to say

DOT, spoken

You have many things. 

GEORGE

Well, nothing that’s not been said

DOT, spoken

Said by you, though, George. 

GEORGE

I do not know where to go

DOT

And nor did I

GEORGE

I want to make things that count
Things that will be new…

DOT

I did what I had to do

GEORGE

What am I to do?

DOT

Move on

Stop worrying where you’re going—
Move on
If you can know where you’re going
You’ve gone
Just keep moving on

I chose, and my world was shaken—
So what?
The choice may have been mistaken
The choosing was not
You have to move on

Look at what you want
Not at where you are
Not at what you’ll be
Look at all the things you’ve done for me:
Opened up my eyes
Taught me how to see
Notice every tree—

GEORGE

Notice every tree…

DOT

Understand the light—

GEORGE

Understand the light…

DOT

Concentrate on now—

GEORGE

I want to move on
I want to explore the light
I want to know how to get through
Through to something new
Something of my own—

DOT & GEORGE

Move on
Move on

DOT

Stop worrying if your vision
Is new
Let others make that decision—
They usually do
You keep moving on

DOT & GEORGE

Look at what you’ve done (Something in the light)
Then at what you want (Something in the sky)
Not at where you are (In the grass)
What you’ll be (Up behind the trees…)
Look at all the things
You gave to me (Things I hadn’t looked at)
Let me give to you (Till now)
Something in return (Flower in your hat)

GEORGE

And your smile

DOT

I would be so pleased…

GEORGE

And the color of your hair
And the way you catch the light
And the care
And the feeling
And the life
Moving on!

DOT

We’ve always belonged together!

DOT & GEORGE

We will always belong together!

DOT

Just keep moving on
Anything you do
Let it come from you
Then it will be new
Give us more to see

17. Sunday (Finale)

The finale revisits the “Sunday” motif, now enriched with the passage of time, memory, and understanding.

Past and present characters gather once more in harmony, representing the eternal dialogue between artist and subject, creation and legacy.

The song swells into a final tableau of unity and peace, suggesting that though life is fleeting, art and the connections it preserves endure.

It’s a serene, transcendent ending to the musical’s complex journey.

Sunday (Finale) Lyrics by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters

GEORGE, spoken

Dot, why did you write these words?

DOT, spoken

They are your words, George. The ones you muttered so often when you worked. 

GEORGE, spoken

Order.
Design.
Tension.
Composition.
Balance.
Light.
Dot, I cannot read this word. 

DOT, spoken

Harmony. 

COMPANY

Sunday

GEORGE, spoken

So much love in his words

COMPANY

By the blue
Purple yellow red water

GEORGE, spoken

Forever with his colors

COMPANY

On the green
Purple yellow red grass

GEORGE, spoken

How George looks

COMPANY

As we pass

GEORGE, spoken

He can look forever

COMPANY

Through arrangements of shadows

GEORGE, spoken

What does he see?
His eyes so dark and shiny

COMPANY

Towards the verticals of trees

GEORGE, spoken
So careful, so exact

COMPANY

Forever
By the blue
Purple yellow red water
On the green
Orange violet mass
Of the grass

DOT

In our perfect park

GEORGE

Made of flecks of light
And dark

MEN

And parasols…

CELESTES

People strolling through the trees

CELESTES, LOUISE, SOLDIER, & FRANZ

Of a small suburban park

COMPANY

On an island in the river
On an ordinary Sunday…
Sunday…
Sunday…

GEORGE, spoken

White. A blank page or canvas. His favorite. So many possibilities…

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do Some Lyrics Repeat in Sunday in the Park with George?

Repetition reflects emotional patterns and creative habits, showing how thoughts circle during the artistic process.

What is Role of Silence in Sunday in the Park with George?

Silence adds tension, gives space for reflection, and highlights the weight of unspoken moments.

Why do Certain Songs Feel Fragmented in Sunday in the Park with George?

It mirrors the uncertainty of creating art and leaving things open to interpretation.

What Role do Background Voices Play in Sunday in the Park with George?

They show distraction, doubt, or public pressure that surrounds the artist while working.