LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE

William Finn said he would spend no more than 30 minutes at a time composing the score to the new musical Little MIss Sunshine, having it’s premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse, so the score wouldn’t be too complicated, I don’t think you’d ever hear Sondheim say that and for good reason, that’s the main problem of this musical laced with inherent problems. The score just simply isn’t good enough and Finn is a far more capable composer, he needs to spend much more time on it. There are a few readily identifiable Finn moments that show a glimpse of a fun idea.

Any show that takes place in a van on a road trip has it’s obvious problems for staging, director James Lapine is a smart & inventive man and keeps things constantly moving but when you’re trapped within a vehicle there’s only so much you can do.

Another inherent problem when musicalizing a movie is that you must cut out many scenes to make room for the songs, that is a major problem here, gaps that lead to incoherence and if you know the movie leaves you wanting certain scenes that aren’t there.

The capable but uneventful cast lead by Hunter Foster just doesn’t equal the quirkiness of the fine movie cast. Even the always wonderful Dick Latessa can’t equal Alan Arkin’s Oscar winning performance. Georgi James as Olive, the lead young actress just isn’t a strong enough actress or singer and borderlines being cloying. The only character who gets a chance to delve into character with the music is the son who doesn’t speak until 3/4 of the show when his rage erupts into a heart felt song (the strongest moment of the show) and Taylor Trensch shines with it.

The pivotal beauty pageant & Olive’s dance that the whole show builds to is wanting here. The show needs much more work but could be quirky fun. Little Miss Sunshine isn’t bad but it it just isn’t good yet.