Little Miss Sunshine (musical)

Little Miss Sunshine
Off-Broadway promotional image
MusicWilliam Finn
LyricsWilliam Finn
BookJames Lapine
BasisLittle Miss Sunshine
by Michael Arndt
Productions2009 workshop
2011 San Diego, California
2013 Off-Broadway
2019 Off West End and UK tour

Little Miss Sunshine is a musical adapted from the 2006 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book and direction by James Lapine. Following a 2009 workshop, the musical received its world premiere in San Diego, California, at the Mandell Weiss Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, on February 15, 2011, and began performances Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in October 2013. It received its European premiere Off West End at the Arcola Theatre in 2019, followed by a UK tour.

Production history

Development

Little Miss Sunshine was workshopped at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at White Oak in Yulee, Florida, from October 25 through November 7, 2009.[1] The workshop's principal cast included Craig Bierko, Dick Latessa, and Sherie Rene Scott.[2]

La Jolla Playhouse (2011)

The musical received its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse's Mandell Weiss Theatre in San Diego, running from February 15 through March 27, 2011.[3] Lapine directed, with choreography and musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, music direction by Vadim Feichtner—Finn's longtime musical director[4]—scenic design by David Korins, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Dan Moses Schreier, orchestrations by Michael Starobin, and music arrangements by Will Aronson.[5] The cast starred Hunter Foster as Richard Hoover, Jennifer Laura Thompson as Sheryl Hoover, Malcolm Gets as Frank, Dick Latessa as Grandpa, Taylor Trensch as Dwayne Hoover, and Georgi James as Olive.[6][7]

Gets was absent from a number of performances after the opening because of vocal-cord problems, with understudy Andrew Samonsky filling in; ordered by doctors to rest his voice, Gets did not return, and Samonsky took over the role of Frank for the remainder of the run, which closed on March 27, 2011, with Ryan Wagner assuming Samonsky's former role of Joshua Rose.[8][9][10]

Reviewing the production, Variety critic Bob Verini wrote that the staging was visually bright but lacked the "anger" and "devastating disappointments" that fueled the source film's family dysfunction, arguing that Lapine had softened the characters into "a limp retread of robust source material"; he singled out Georgi James's Olive as the show's strongest element.[5] In The New York Times, Charles Isherwood found the premiere "chipper and polished but oppressively cute," with inspiration arriving only intermittently, though he judged Gets's performance the production's most grounded and counted "Something Better Better Happen" among the score's lovelier numbers.[11] The mixed reception led the creative team to substantially rework the piece rather than pursue an immediately planned Broadway transfer.[12] As part of that process, La Jolla Playhouse presented a private reading of a revised script in September 2011, directed by Lapine and featuring Raúl Esparza and Sherie Rene Scott.[13]

Off-Broadway (2013)

Ahead of a New York transfer, a further invitation-only reading of the musical was held in spring 2013, starring Christian Borle, John Larroquette, and Sherie Rene Scott.[14] Second Stage Theatre artistic director Carole Rothman said the production had been retooled to focus on the family rather than the Volkswagen bus around which the La Jolla staging had been built, and that only about three songs remained from the original score.[15]

Second Stage announced in July 2013 that Tony nominee Will Chase would star as Richard Hoover opposite Stephanie J. Block's Sheryl,[16] but Chase withdrew from the production in early September to join the television series Nashville and was replaced by Will Swenson.[17] Block later recalled that Lapine had offered her the role directly, without an audition.[4]

The musical began previews Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre on October 15, 2013, officially opening on November 14 following a one-week extension of previews.[18][19] The engagement broke box-office records for Second Stage, earning the highest pre-opening advance in the company's 35-year history, and closed on December 15, 2013.[20] Lapine directed, with scenic and projection design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Jon Weston, choreography by Michele Lynch, music direction by Vadim Feichtner, orchestrations by Michael Starobin, and vocal and dance arrangements by Will Aronson.[20] The cast featured Will Swenson as Richard Hoover, Hannah Rose Nordberg as Olive Hoover, Stephanie J. Block as Sheryl Hoover, Rory O'Malley as Frank Ginsburg, Wesley Taylor as Joshua Rose/Kirby, Josh Lamon as Larry/Buddy, David Rasche as Grandpa Hoover, Jennifer Sanchez as Linda/Miss California, and Logan Rowland as Dwayne Hoover.[20][21]

Reviews were mixed. In The New York Times, Charles Isherwood called the show "neither gravely disappointing nor entirely rewarding," writing that Finn's songs had smoothed over the sharper edges of the film's characters, though he praised the ballad "Something Better Better Happen" as the score's strongest moment, Block's performance of it, and the quartet playing Olive's pageant rivals—Alivia Clark, Victoria Dennis, Miranda McKeon, and Leonay Shepherd.[22][21] USA Today's Elysa Gardner was more favorable, awarding the production three out of four stars and praising Block's "robust strength" opposite the young Nordberg, while calling Finn's score "uneven."[23] The Hollywood Reporter was harsher, finding the retooled book and score inert and undramatic compared with the film.[24] Other outlets, including The New York Daily News, the New York Post, and Time Out New York, were similarly mixed to negative.[25]

European premiere and UK tour (2019)

In October 2018, it was announced that Little Miss Sunshine would receive its European premiere at the Arcola Theatre, produced by Selladoor Productions, with previews from March 21, 2019, ahead of a UK tour opening at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich.[26] The production, directed by Mehmet Ergen, opened April 1, 2019, and ran until May 11.[27] Design was by David Woodhead, lighting by Richard Williamson, choreography by Anthony Whiteman, musical supervision by Mark Crossland, musical direction by Arlene McNaught, and sound design by Olly Steel.[28] The cast starred Laura Pitt-Pulford as Sheryl, Gary Wilmot as Grandpa, Gabriel Vick as Richard, Paul Keating as Frank, Sev Keoshgerian as Dwayne, Ian Carlyle as Larry/Buddy, Imelda Warren-Green as Linda/Miss California, and Matthew McDonald as Joshua Rose/Kirby, with Olive shared by Sophie Hartley Booth, Evie Gibson, and Lily Mae Denman.[27]

Reviews of the Arcola production were mixed. In The Guardian, Michael Billington called it "likable but lacks bite," writing that the show never fully committed to satirizing the culture of child pageants it depicted; he praised Wilmot's "wayward charm" as Grandpa, Pitt-Pulford, Hartley-Booth, and Imelda Warren-Green, and noted David Woodhead's rotating, tiered platform staging.[29] The Stage and WhatsOnStage both described the production as a middling adaptation undercut by a forgettable score, while praising the cast, particularly Vick and Wilmot;[30][31] Time Out London was more positive about the staging and energy of the production, calling it "enjoyably silly."[32]

The UK tour opened at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, on May 20, 2019, with Lucy O'Byrne succeeding Pitt-Pulford as Sheryl and Mark Moraghan succeeding Wilmot as Grandpa; Vick, Keating, Keoshgerian, and Denman continued in their roles.[33] Billington's Guardian review noted the tour was scheduled to run until November 16, 2019.[34] The tour's sole Irish date was a week-long engagement at the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, from August 13 to 17, 2019; the run marked the theatrical acting debut of Irish comedian and broadcaster Bernard O'Shea.[35] The tour subsequently played the Oxford Playhouse from August 20 to 24, 2019, with O'Byrne and Moraghan still heading the cast.[36]

Following its professional productions, Little Miss Sunshine entered the stock and amateur catalogue of Music Theatre International and has since received further productions by regional and community theatre companies in the United States.[21]

Roles and casts

Character La Jolla Off-Broadway Off West End UK tour
2011 2013 2019
Richard Hoover Hunter Foster Will Swenson Gabriel Vick
Olive Hoover Georgi James Hannah Rose Nordberg Sophie Hartley Booth
Evie Gibson
Lily Mae Denman		 Lily Mae Denman
Sheryl Hoover Jennifer Laura Thompson Stephanie J. Block Laura Pitt-Pulford Lucy O'Byrne
Frank Ginsburg Malcolm Gets Rory O'Malley Paul Keating
Grandpa Hoover Dick Latessa David Rasche Gary Wilmot Mark Moraghan
Dwayne Hoover Taylor Trensch Logan Rowland Sev Keoshgerian

Musical numbers

The list below reflects the musical as revised for its Off-Broadway production, which forms the basis of the version licensed for subsequent productions; the original 2011 La Jolla version retained only around three of the same songs.[20]

Recordings

No original cast album of Little Miss Sunshine has been commercially released. A soundboard recording of the 2013 Off-Broadway cast was made and is distributed by Music Theatre International as the official reference recording for licensees of the show.[21]

Awards and nominations

Original Off-Broadway production

Year Award Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2014 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Stephanie J. Block Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Theatre Lab Archived 2013-12-07 at the Wayback Machine sundance.org
  2. ↑ Dennhardt, Jeff (October 26, 2009). "Finn & Lapine's Little Miss Sunshine to Feature Bierko, Latessa, Scott and More at Sundance Lab". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine". La Jolla Playhouse. Archived from the original on 2011-01-02.
  4. 1 2 Shapiro, Eddie (2023). Here's to the Ladies: Conversations with More of the Great Women of Musical Theater. Oxford University Press. pp. 335–338. ISBN 9780197585535.
  5. 1 2 Verini, Bob (March 6, 2011). "Little Miss Sunshine". Variety. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  6. ↑ Little Miss Sunshine Takes the Stage - San Diego, California Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine San Diego Magazine, December 2010
  7. ↑ Hebert, James (2010-12-17). "The "Sunshine" set: Playhouse announces new musical's cast". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 2010-12-21.
  8. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine – La Jolla Playhouse, Mandell Weiss Theatre, February 15 – March 27, 2011". AboutTheArtists.
  9. ↑ Ng, David (March 21, 2011). "'Little Miss Sunshine' actor misses the bus". Culture Monster blog. Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Ng, David (May 23, 2013). "'Little Miss Sunshine' musical heading off-Broadway". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ↑ Isherwood, Charles (March 8, 2011). "Taking Dysfunction on a Road Trip, by Van, to California". The New York Times.
  12. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine Musical on Tap for Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre This Fall". Broadway.com. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Raul Esparza and Sherie Rene Scott Took Part in Reading of Revised Version of Little Miss Sunshine". Playbill. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Second Stage to Present William Finn and James Lapine's Musical Little Miss Sunshine Off-Broadway in October". TheaterMania. May 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  15. ↑ "William Finn and James Lapine's Little Miss Sunshine Will Illuminate Off-Broadway's Second Stage Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Stephanie J. Block & Will Chase to Star in Little Miss Sunshine Musical at Second Stage Theatre". Broadway.com. July 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Will Chase Withdraws from Little Miss Sunshine; Books Role on TV's Nashville". Broadway.com. September 3, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  18. ↑ Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review: 'Little Miss Sunshine' Opens at Second Stage" The New York Times, November 14, 2013
  19. ↑ Gioia, Michael (November 6, 2013). "Second Stage's Little Miss Sunshine Given One-Week Extension Prior to Off-Broadway Opening". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Gioia, Michael (December 15, 2013). "Second Stage's Little Miss Sunshine Ends Off-Broadway Road Trip Dec. 15". Playbill. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 4 "Little Miss Sunshine – Off-Broadway Cast". CastAlbums.org. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  22. ↑ Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review: 'Little Miss Sunshine' Opens at Second Stage" The New York Times, November 14, 2013
  23. ↑ Gardner, Elysa (November 14, 2013). "Wry, mostly winning 'Sunshine' arrives off-Broadway". USA Today. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  24. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine: Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. November 14, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine, review, Off-Broadway". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine Musical to Make European Premiere at Arcola Theatre; U.K. Tour to Follow". Broadway.com. October 23, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Gary Wilmot, Laura Pitt-Pulford & More to Lead Little Miss Sunshine Musical in London". Broadway.com. January 30, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine musical photos: Gary Wilmot, Laura Pitt Pulford and more in London". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  29. ↑ Billington, Michael (April 2, 2019). "Little Miss Sunshine review – feuding family hits the road to a new tune". The Guardian. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine review, Arcola Theatre, London, 2019". The Stage. April 2, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Review: Little Miss Sunshine (Arcola Theatre)". WhatsOnStage. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Little Miss Sunshine review: a funny but underpowered musical take on the offbeat indie movie". Time Out. April 2, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  33. ↑ "REVIEW: Little Miss Sunshine, New Wolsey Theatre (UK Tour)". britishtheatre.com. May 26, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  34. ↑ Billington, Michael (April 2, 2019). "Little Miss Sunshine review – feuding family hits the road to a new tune". The Guardian. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  35. ↑ "We speak to comedian and broadcaster Bernard O'Shea about making his theatrical stage debut in Little Miss Sunshine". RTÉ. July 29, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  36. ↑ Hughes, Tim (August 22, 2019). "Little Miss Sunshine: See musical of the movie at Oxford Playhouse". Oxford Mail. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
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