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A CurtainUp Review
Little Miss Sunshine
By Elyse Sommer
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Something Better Better Happen And It Better Happen Soon. Will This Sad Unfunny Morning Become a Sunny Afternoon? .— From "Something Better Happen. |
Front: Stephanie J. Block and Will Swenson. 2nd row l-r:Rory O'Malley, Hannah Nordberg, David Rasche Rear: Logan Rowland (Photo: Joan Marcus)
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The 2011 premiere production of the musicalized Little Miss Sunshine was clearly aiming for Broadway. The dysfunctional but loving Hoover family trekked from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Redondo Beach, California so 7-year-old Olive could compete in a Miss Sunshine beauty contest in a real van. It ran 21/2 hours and featured more than twenty songs.
The critical response was mixed but with enough positive comments for Finn and Lapine to persevere in order to give the show a larger life. Naturally, that means a move to a New York theater.
That New York production is now a reality but it's been completely reworked: Tightened to an hour and 40 minutes without an intermission, with different cast and songs. Instead of the real "bus" for one of the few remaining songs, "Pushing the Bus," Mr. Lapine now cleverly employs six kitchen chairs on rollers (Think Thornton Wilder's The Happy Journey to Trenton and Paula Vogel's The Long Christmas Ride Home).
The cast still features a top drawer cast that includes Broadway veterans Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, David Rasche and Rory O'Malley. But given the less Broadway-ish staging, the show has wisely opted opted for a landing at the 2nd Stage Theater rather than in a 1000 or more seat Broadway house.
Mr. Lapine's original costume designer Jennifer Caprio is still on board with her witty costumes for the big finale, but he has brought in choreographer Michele Lynch to cleverly utilize those chairs. Beowolf Borritt, also new, manages to accommodate and vivify several off-the-road scenes with an upstage platform and a trapdoor. Borritt also illustrates the part of the country being travelled with projected maps.
Best of all, Lapine's book, as interpreted by this cast, is true to what made the film's blend of hilarious satire and the poignant semi-tragedy of a family for whom the American Dream has turned into a nightmare. In fact, they are more endearing and less two-dimensional than the movie characters.
In case you didn't see the movie, here's a quick rundown of who's who in this ueber-dysfunctional family and what propels them on this journey in pursuit of little Olive's beauty queen dream: Mom and Dad are over-worked, practical Sheryl (Stephanie J. Block), unemployed husband Richard determined to reverse the family's fortunes with an internet launched 10-step motivational system he's concocted. Their 16-year-old Dwayne (Logan Rowland) has taken a vow of silence until he achieves his dream of becoming a test pilot. The youngest dreamer in the family is of course the adorable but unlikely to win beauty contest winner Olive (Hannah Nordberg). To complete the family, there's Sheryl's gay brother Frank (Rory O'Malley) fresh from a recent suicide attempt and Grandpa (David Rasche) whose penchant for drugs and pornography have gotten him ousted from his retirement home and thus available to coach Olive in her routines for the Pageant.
Naturally, this is a setup to insure that anything that could go wrong does. Not that this precludes a happy ending. , in this case, it solidifies the troubled family as a unit that's functional, at least in terms of their genuine love and caring for each other.
Okay, so the book works just fine. But this is not a straight play but a musical. While William Finn's music is pleasantly melodic and well played by a small, unseen, band under Vadim Felchtner's direction, it lacks any really memorable breakout songs. The fact that Finn's lyrics are stronger than his music, contributes to the sense that this show, despite plenty of music, often feels more like a play than a musical.
The most musical-like scene involves Rory O'Malley's Frank and the two men (Josh Lamon and Wesley Taylor, who also play two other roles) who made him suicidal. O'Malley, Block and Swenson are all fine singers who make the most of what's given them, but one wishes that were more standout ballads. As for David Rasche, though quite good as the outrageous grandpa, he can't sing, and Mr. Finn hasn't given him a song to help his sprech-singing sound less off-key.
The box office buzz that's extended the show even before the now official opening, may yet lead to a move to Broadway which happened when The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee tested the waters at this venue before moving to Circle in the Square. Certainly, it's a story with plenty of laughs and heart. And the actors all excel. That includes those multi-tasking in several parts, and especially the delightful young Hanna Nordberg who brings plenty the sunshine we all yearn for during these grim and wintry times.
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Little Miss Sunshine, based on the film by Michaael Arndt Book by James Lapine Music and lyrics by William Finn Directed by James Lapine Choreography: Michele Lynch Cast: Stephanie J. Block (Sheryl),Josh Lamon (Larry/Buddy),,Hannah Nordberg (Olive), Rory O'Malley (Frank),David Rasche (Grandpa),Logan Rowland (Dwayne),Jennifer Sanchez (Linda/Miss California), Will Swenson (Richard),Wesley Taylor (Josh Kirby). Alivia Clark,Victoria Dennis Miranda McKeon Leonay Shepherd (Pageant Girls) Set and Projection Design: Beowulf Boritt Costume Design: Jennifer Caprio Lighting Design: Ken Billington Sound Design: John Weston Music Director: Vadim Felchtner Musicians: Shelagh Abate, Matt Eisenstein, Alisa Horn, Steve Lyon, Jay Mach Music Coordinator: Michael Keller Vocal and dance Arranger: Will Aronson Orchestrations: Michael Starobin Stage Manager: Scott Taylor Rollison Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes without intermission Second Stage 305 West 43rd Street (212) 246-4422 From 10/15/13; opening 11/14/13; closing 12/15/13. Tickets $83 to $150. Reviewed by Elyse Sommer at November 13th press preview Songs in order of presentation (not in program but part of text, opera style): The Way Of The World, For The First Time In My Life,Pushing The Bus,Always Make Me Proud, Poor Olive, How Have I Been?,The Fight, Part I, You’re The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, The Fight, Part II, Something Better Better Happen, Nothing Gets In The Way, Something Better Better Happen (reprise),What You Left Behind, Little Miss Sunshine, The Way Of The World Shake Your Badonkadonk |
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