And while Dot may be unlettered, Ms. Ashford makes you appreciate the acuity of her insights into what George is and does. Ms. Ashford shows up as Marie, his nonagenarian grandmother, who is also Dot’s daughter and, she insists, Seurat’s child. The conventional wisdom has always been that the second act of “Sunday” is far weaker than the first, more gimmicky and glib. (The second act begins at the Art Institute of Chicago, home to “La Grande Jatte” and to George’s latest installation.) Even more important, though, is the emotional conviction — the anguished, hopeful yearning — that Mr. Gyllenhaal and Ms. Ashford bring to their parts here.

Source: New York Times February 24, 2017 03:00 UTC