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If you want to see Jake Gyllenhaal in Sunday in the Park with George, you don’t need to pay more than $41. Just get up early and dress warm.
There are lots of good reasons to look forward to this revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s 1984 masterwork, which contrasts the struggles of French pointillist Georges Seurat with those of a 20th-century artist. A concert version of the show earned rave reviews when it played for three days at New York City Center in October. Gyllenhaal is up to the considerable vocal demands of the title role(s), as he proved in a teaser video of him singing Seurat’s central song, “Finishing the Hat.” And as a bonus, the production will the first to play in Broadway’s newest venue, the recently renovated Hudson Theatre.
Previews for Sunday’s 10-week limited run begin tomorrow, February 11. You can buy them here, but be warned: You won’t find seats in the orchestra section for under $100, and the price of premium seats goes as high as $424. But in honor of the Hudson becoming Broadway’s 41st theater—and as goodwill gesture to fans—producers announced a special deal today: During the production's preview period, before it officially opens on February 23, tickets in the very front row of the orchestra will be available for just $41. That's substantially less than even the cheapest seats in the rear mezzanine and balcony.
The catch is that these front-row tickets can’t be purchased in advance. To get them, you’ll need to line up in person at the Hudson box office (139–141 W 44th Street) on the day of the performance. Tickets go on sale at 10am daily, and there is a limit of two per person, so get there early. To pass your time in line, you can read our guide to the Hudson Theatre.
The front row may not afford you the very best perspective on the musical’s famous tableau vivant of Seurat’s 1884 painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” but it will put you right up close to Gyllenhaal and his costars, including Annaleigh Ashford, Robert Sean Leonard and Penny Fuller.
And yes, you will probably be cold. That’s the price you sometimes have to pay for cheap tickets. No one ever said that art was easy.