Little Miss Sunshine – Location, Tickets, Reviews
Although highly anticipated (it made both the critics’ and the public’s HOT lists for new shows in the Fall of 2013), Little Miss Sunshine turns out to be a disappointment.
There are many problems. To begin with, the set, from New York Magazine: “[The road trip] is all done with yellow vinyl kitchen chairs on casters. Other than that, Beowulf Boritt’s set has little to offer but seven projection screens, as if to highlight the fact that the show is not a movie. Even the orchestra is hidden somewhere, perhaps embarrassed.” TheaterMania questions it as an original musical, because Finn provides “a lot of sung dialogue, but very few genuine songs” and Lapine’s adaptation of Michael Arndt’s screenplay follows the film “nearly plot point by plot point.” The New York Times‘s biggest problem with the show is that “the edges of the characters in the movie seem to have been sanded down…as if these rough-and-rumpled people have been put through a rinse cycle with extra fabric softener.”
There is at least one good thing about the show, Hannah Nordberg, who plays nine-year old Olive, is a real star. But if you want to spend your money more wisely, we suggest checking out Maxamoo’s recommendations.
Original post published on September 18
From the Tony Award winning team James Lapine and William Finn, Little Miss Sunshine kicks off Second Stage’s 35th anniversary season this Fall. It is one of the most highly anticipated shows, on Broadway or off, of the Fall 2013 theater season.
Little Miss Sunshine is a new musical based on the 2006 film of the same name. It follows a quirky family on a 800-mile trek to California so their young daughter can compete in a pre-teen pageant. It stars New York stage favorites Stephanie J. Block and Will Swenson, plus Rory O’Malley, Wesley Taylor, Josh Lamon, and David Rasche.
The stage adaptation premiered in San Diego and, reportedly, underwent major fine-tuning for its New York debut. Previews start October 15, 2013.
LOCATION
Second Stage Theatre
305 West 43rd Street, New York City
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RUNNING TIME
one hour and 45 minutes, no intermission
TICKETS
$65-$150 (Click here for tickets)
DATES
Extended through December 15, 2013
REVIEWS
New York Times
Fractious Family Indulging the Dream of a Child
TheaterMania
William Finn and James Lapine’s musical adaptation of the quirky 2006 film isn’t always convinced it’s a musical.
New York Post
‘Little Miss Sunshine’ musical mistakes sucrose for sweetness
Time Out New York
The movie was a quirky hit; the musical’s a big miss.
The Hollywood Reporter
The songs are dreary, the staging inert and the characters never come alive.
am New York
It is disappointing to report just how bad and uninspired “Little Miss Sunshine” has turned out.
NBC New York
For a story with built-in urgency…remarkably little feels at stake in the hotly anticipated new musical “Little Miss Sunshine.”
Theatre Is Easy
The great William Finn is back with a quirky, heartfelt musical adaptation of an Oscar-nominated tale of misfits, Proustian desire, and beauty pageant dreams.
Huffington Post
This attempt at a stage musical with such major talent on board is a sad one.
CAST & CREW
(partial list)
Book and direction by James Lapine
Music and lyrics by William Finn
Featuring Stephanie J. Block, Alivia Clark, Victoria Dennis, Josh Lamon, Miranda McKeon, Hannah Nordberg, Rory O’Mally, David Rsche, Logan Rowland, Jennifer Sanchez, Leonay Shepherd, Jackson Tanner, Will Swenson, Wesley Taylor.