Review: LITTLE MISS PERFECT at The Olney Theatre Center

This review contains no plot spoilers.

As part of their self-ascribed “year of world premieres,” Olney Theatre Center is debuting the profoundly peppy, wonderfully messy, coming-of-age celebration Little Miss Perfect, written by Joriah Kwamé. The musical has been in development for more than five years, originally based on the catchy song of the same title written by Kwamé, which found stardom in the 2020 Write Out Loud contest. 

Working from song to storyline and abetted by eager online community input, this show is clearly born from a labor of love and a desire to uplift those often unseen. Noelle is a Black, LGBTQ, teenage adoptee growing up in a small town in Michigan who feels pressured to be the “perfect” student, peer, and daughter, even against her own desires. She’s challenged in her senior year to step out of this comfort zone and find out what her own vision of perfection is. 

Little Miss Perfect does its best to balance relatability with singularity. The exposition suffers slightly when it overexplains for a general audience (aka the straight, white, non-Gen Z majority), but it hits witty, poignant commentary once the plot is established and has a lot to offer both in lighthearted comedy and devastating sincerity. The relationships between characters are unique and believable—from romantic to platonic to antagonistic—and clearly the work was done to make sure that the talent and chemistry didn’t just come from the leads (which certainly had a huge amount on their own). Most jokes landed like a sucker punch, moments of triumph received ample cheers, and conflicts were given solemn silence. 

Motifs such as the societal and parental pressure to conform to expectations, the growing pains of becoming an adult, and the discomfort of being singled out as a minority (especially as a woman, person of color, and/or queer person) are all at the forefront and handled with discernment. But there were nuanced topics that were touched on as conflicts yet would have needed more time to be fully fleshed out, like the deconstruction of religious prejudices or how bullies are often lashing out from their own suffering. 

If one couldn’t tell by the 10 million views on the professional recording of “Little Miss Perfect,” there is no denying Kwamé’s songwriting abilities. He brought intriguing, infectious musicality and refreshing melodies to the musical, blending showtune ballads with hip-hop hits. Some songs faded from the mind in favor of the heavy hitters that have already thrived offstage, but such is the danger of releasing a single before writing the whole album. The tracklist as a whole was cohesive and had high replay potential if and when a cast recording were to be released. 

The cast’s acting and singing of the score was precise and impactful without anyone relying on excessive pantomime or overacting. Leanne J. Antonio had an incredible range as a singer and performer. She nailed Noelle’s baseline of a nerdy, nervous affect while also having believable moments of courage and cool. Her singing reflected her mood, from a soft, sad solo to a roaring rap battle. While Eli’s introduction was a bit on-the-nose, Donovan Fowler pulled weight as an empowering supporting character with his own spirited personality. Madelynn Elizabeth Ayen made her first on-stage appearance as Malaya, and though some nerves wiggled through her first few notes, her skill as a singer and grit as an actor molded the “freedom” and fierceness that Malaya represented. While the character of Gia was an uninspiring cut-and-paste of a Heather or Regina, Mia Goodman did her best to belt and berate and be an adversary with a hint of complexity. 

The finale takes place with a fourth-wall break, in which Noelle addresses the audience about changing up her “perfect” ending. Her proposal, however, pushes the story from comedy to parody. Noelle regales us with how she isn’t the girl everyone wanted her to be (she’s even better). This messaging almost completely upends a central motif: that you should be able to chase your dreams, even if they’re not in line with society’s expectations or exceed your perceived “worth.” This is not to undermine Noelle and Malaya’s credentials by saying that their future is unrealistic, and it is uplifting to see them ultimately come out unscathed, but there has to be a satisfying middle ground between unsettling tragedy and boring idealism. Because at the end, there’s no world where one could say she isn’t the “Little Miss Perfect” she sought to escape in the first place.  

Little Miss Perfect joins the thankfully ever-growing roster of inclusive, contemporary, joyful productions celebrated on stage. It has an infectiously feel-good story and soundtrack that has already been taken up by a dedicated audience, and one would only hope to see it grow from this stellar debut. 

Runtime: 2 hours and 15 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission

Photo credit: Teresa Castracane Photography