If Stephen Sondheim could write a musical about a painting, why shouldn’t Gavin Creel write a musical about several paintings (plus a few sculptures)?
Back when Sondheim wrote his masterpieces and he wasn’t exactly the darling of the critics or the audiences, his detractors on Shubert Alley (and there were many) kept complaining about the subject matter of his shows, especially before those shows had actually opened. For instance, “Sweeney Todd”: “He’s writing a musical about cannibalism!”; or “Pacific Overtures”: “He’s writing a musical about Admiral Perry and the Westernization of Japan!”; and, of course, “Sunday in the Park with George”: “He’s writing a musical about Georges Seurat and pointillism!”
Not to be outdone by Sondheim, Creel, who won a Tony for playing Cornelius in the Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” starring Bette Midler, has written the book, as well as the songs, for his first stage musical, about the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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