Little Miss Sunshine (musical)

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. The musical premiered in San Diego, California at the Mandell Weiss Theater, La Jolla Playhouse on February 15, 2011 [1] and began performances Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in October 2013. The musical opened Off West End at the Arcola Theatre in 2019.

Little Miss Sunshine
Off-Broadway promotional image
MusicWilliam Finn
LyricsWilliam Finn
BookJames Lapine
BasisLittle Miss Sunshine
by Michael Arndt
Productions2011 San Diego, California
2013 Off-Broadway
2019 Off West End

Production history

The play was work-shopped at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at White Oak in Yulee, Florida October 25 through November 7, 2009.[2] It then premiered at the La Jolla Playhouse from February 15 through March 27, 2011.[3] The score is by William Finn, with musical staging at La Jolla by Christopher Gattelli.[4] A private reading was done at La Jolla in September 2011, featuring Raúl Esparza and Sherie Rene Scott.[5]

The musical premiered Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre on October 15, 2013 (previews), and officially on November 14, 2013.[6] The production was given a one-week extension before the official opening. The show closed on December 15, 2013.[7] The cast features Will Swenson as Richard Hoover, Hannah Rose Nordberg as Olive Hoover, Stephanie J. Block as Sheryl Hoover, Rory O’Malley as Frank Hoover, Wesley Taylor as Joshua Rose, Josh Lamon as Buddy, David Rasche as Grandpa Hoover, Jennifer Sanchez as Miss California and Logan Rowland as Dwayne Hoover.[8] The musical has "undergone a major overhaul since its world premiere at California's La Jolla Playhouse in February 2011, retaining only three songs from the original version."[5] The musical is directed by Lapine,[9] with scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Jennifer Caprio, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Jon Weston, and choreography by Michele Lynch.[5]

The musical opened at the Arcola Theatre, Off West End, before touring the UK and Ireland in a new production directed by Mehmet Ergen and produced by Selladoor Productions, marking the show's European premiere.

Cast La Jolla

Georgi James played the role of Olive Hoover in the premiere production at the La Jolla Playhouse.[10] Other cast included Hunter Foster, Malcolm Gets, Dick Latessa, Jennifer Laura Thompson, and Taylor Trensch.[11][12]

On March 11, 2011 Malcolm Gets left the show. Ensemble member Andrew Samonsky took over the role of Uncle Frank, and understudy Ryan Wagner took over the role of Joshua Rose until the show closed on March 27, 2011.

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

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. Little Miss Sunshine Archived 2011-01-06 at WebCite lajollaplayhouse.org
  2. Theatre Lab Archived 2013-12-07 at the Wayback Machine sundance.org
  3. "Little Miss Sunshine". La Jolla Playhouse. Archived from the original on 2011-01-06.
  4. " 'Little Miss Sunshine' at the La Jolla Playhouse" sandiego.com
  5. "Tony Nominee Will Swenson Replaces Will Chase in Second Stage's Little Miss Sunshine" Archived 2013-09-06 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, September 3, 2013
  6. Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review. 'Little Miss Sunshine' Opens at Second Stage" The New York Times, November 14, 2013
  7. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/second-stages-little-miss-sunshine-given-one-week-extension-prior-to-off-br-211447
  8. Champion, Lindsay. "Tony Nominee Will Swenson to Replace Will Chase in Off-Broadway’s 'Little Miss Sunshine' " broadway.com, September 3, 2013
  9. Champion, Lindsay. "Jump In! 'Little Miss Sunshine', Starring Will Swenson & Stephanie J. Block, Begins Performances" broadway.com, October 15, 2013
  10. Little Miss Sunshine Takes the Stage - San Diego, California Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine San Diego Magazine, December 2010
  11. Hebert, James (2010-12-17). "The "Sunshine" set: Playhouse announces new musical's cast". San Diego Union Tribune. Archived from the original on 2011-01-06.
  12. Jones, Kenneth."Road Trip! Finn & Lapine's 'Little Miss Sunshine' Musical Begins World-Premiere Run in CA" Archived 2011-02-18 at the Wayback Machine playbill.com, February 15, 2011
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