Sunday
Sunday is a fascinating song whose subtext is interesting in that, on the surface, Sondheim’s lyrics in Sunday use color, shapes, and other such visual descriptions simply to hearken to the painting Seurat is creating. Yet Sondheim used these lyrics to convey the emotions of the characters, just as Georges Seurat used them in his painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Instead of directly describing feelings, Sondheim relays them in an Impressionist manner, giving the audience bits and pieces of emotions to create an impression for themselves.
The audience is urged to “pass through [their] perfect park/ Pausing on a Sunday” in order to create a point of emotional release where they may stay “By the cool blue triangular water”. This will help with “[passing] through arrangements of shadow”.
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There is a break from the cynicism that Sondheim usually expresses, and a kind of tender, simple sentiment that is rare in Sondheim. The music is not particularly uplifting, but it does provide a moment of respite from the draining emotions of the musical, thus far. The music and lyrics complement one another perfectly as the lyrics are as simple as the melody, and they reflect the main character in their references to Impressionism and Pointillism, and work for the rest of the characters as integral parts of his work. The subdued nature of the performers truly mirrors the placidity of the lyrics, and they are able to perfectly deliver both the music and lyrics in a superbly moving