Little Miss Sunshine (musical)

Last updated
Little Miss Sunshine
Little Miss Sunshine promo.png
Off-Broadway promotional image
Music William Finn
Lyrics William Finn
Book James Lapine
Basis Little Miss Sunshine
by Michael Arndt
Productions2011 San Diego, California
2013 Off-Broadway
2019 Off West End

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.

Contents

Production history

The play was workshopped at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab at White Oak in Yulee, Florida, from 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 Ginsburg, 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.

La Jolla cast

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

CharacterLa Jolla (2011)Off-Broadway (2013)Off-West End (2019)
Richard Hoover Hunter Foster Will Swenson Gabriel Vick
Olive HooverGeorgi JamesHannah Rose NordbergSophie Hartley Booth, Evie Gibson, Lily Mae Denman
Sheryl Hoover Jennifer Laura Thompson Stephanie J. Block Laura Pitt-Pulford
Frank Ginsburg Malcolm Gets Rory O'Malley Paul Keating
Grandpa Hoover Dick Latessa David Rasche Gary Wilmot
Dwayne Hoover Taylor Trensch Logan RowlandSev Keoshgerian

Awards and nominations

Original Off-Broadway production

YearAward CeremonyCategoryNomineeResult
2014 Drama Desk Awards Outstanding Featured Actress in A Musical Stephanie J. Block Nominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Finn</span> Musical artist

William Alan Finn is an American composer and lyricist. He is best known for his musicals, which include Falsettos, for which he won the 1992 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, A New Brain (1998), and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Lapine</span> American stage director and librettist

James Elliot Lapine is an American stage director, playwright, screenwriter, and librettist. He has won the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical three times, for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. He has frequently collaborated with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Foster</span> American actor

Hunter Foster is an American musical theatre actor, singer, librettist, playwright and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Jolla Playhouse</span> American stage theatre (1947–1959, 1983– )

La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Laura Thompson</span> American actor-singer (born 1969)

Jennifer Laura Thompson is an American actress and singer, best known for her theatrical performances. She originated the role of Cynthia Murphy in the Tony Award-winning musical, Dear Evan Hansen, and received a Tony Award nomination for her performance as Hope Cladwell in Urinetown. She is also known for being the first replacement for Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney Theatrical Productions</span> Subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company

Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major division and business unit of The Walt Disney Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Jue</span> American actor and singer (born 1963)

Francis Jue is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Louis. His roles in plays and musicals range from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein to David Henry Hwang. He is also known for his recurring role on the TV series Madam Secretary (2014–2019).

Amanda Green is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history.

Claudia Shear is an American actress and playwright. She was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Play and Best Actress for her play Dirty Blonde.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (musical) 1999 musical

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a musical play based on the 1831 novel of the same name written by Victor Hugo with songs from the 1996 Walt Disney Animation Studios film adaptation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manu Narayan</span> American actor

Manu Narayan is an American actor, film producer, singer, songwriter, composer and saxophonist. He served as a Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University, his alma mater, from 2013-2016.

Jeff Calhoun is an American director, choreographer, producer and dancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Davie</span> American actress and singer

Erin Davie is an American actress and singer, best known for her performance as the young Edith Bouvier Beale in the Broadway production of the musical Grey Gardens, taking the part on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2006, after its initial run Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons.

Warren Carlyle is a British director and choreographer who was born in Norwich, Norfolk, England. He received Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Director of a Musical for the 2009 revival of Finian's Rainbow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Kitt (musician)</span> American composer and musician

Thomas Robert Kitt is an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, and musician. For his score for the musical Next to Normal, he shared the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama with Brian Yorkey. He has also won two Tony Awards and an Outer Critics Circle Award for Next to Normal, as well as Tony and Outer Critics Circle nominations for If/Then and SpongeBob SquarePants. He has been nominated for eight Drama Desk Awards, winning one, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for Jagged Little Pill in 2021.

Alli Mauzey is an American actress and singer best known for her performance as Glinda in the Broadway and 1st national tour productions of Wicked and for originating the role of Lenora in the musical Cry-Baby, as well as the main character voice acting role of Lioness in the animated series A.T.O.M..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Greif</span> American stage director (born 1959)

Michael Greif is an American stage director. He has won three Obie Awards and received four Tony Award nominations, for Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal, and Dear Evan Hansen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taylor Trensch</span> American stage and film actor

Taylor Hunt Trensch is an American stage and film actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Colella</span> American singer (born 1974)

Jenn Colella is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a comedian and then branched out into musical theater. In her New York debut in Urban Cowboy, she earned a 2003 Outer Critics Circle Award nomination. More recently, she landed a Tony Award nomination, and won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and three regional theater awards for her portrayal of Annette/Beverley Bass in Come from Away. She received a Grammy Award in January 2018 for her role for the Dear Evan Hansen original cast album. See: Awards and nominations

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures</span>

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is the live show, stageplay and musical production arm of Warner Bros. Discovery. The company forms a part of Warner Bros., one of the major business segments of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is led by Mark Kaufman.

References

  1. ↑ Little Miss Sunshine Archived 2011-01-02 at the Wayback Machine 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 2011-01-02.
  4. ↑ Jones, Welton (March 5, 2011). "LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE At The La Jolla Playhouse". SanDiego.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 Gioia, Michael (September 3, 2013). "Tony Nominee Will Swenson Replaces Will Chase in Second Stage's Little Miss Sunshine". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
  6. ↑ Isherwood, Charles. "Theater Review. 'Little Miss Sunshine' Opens at Second Stage" Archived 2015-06-11 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times, November 14, 2013
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Lindsay Champion (September 3, 2013). "Tony Nominee Will Swenson to Replace Will Chase in Off-Broadway's Little Miss Sunshine". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  9. ↑ Lindsay Champion (October 15, 2013). "Jump In! Little Miss Sunshine, Starring Will Swenson & Stephanie J. Block, Begins Performances". Broadway.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  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 2010-12-21.
  12. ↑ Jones, Kenneth (February 15, 2011). "Road Trip! Finn & Lapine's Little Miss Sunshine Musical Begins World-Premiere Run in CA". Playbill. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.