LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE begins previews tonight- anyone going? - Page 2

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 9:30am

So what's changed since the less-than-stellar La Jolla run?

The score has been almost entirely re-written. Only three songs remain from La Jolla.

[macnyc]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 5:40pm

I saw the show today and while it's no Fun Home, which is my go-to standard of excellence these days, I enjoyed it a lot. I think the chairs were fine as a van substitute, and the choreography involving the pushing of the van worked well. If there were a real vehicle on stage, I think it would hurt visibility. So more scenes would have to take place outside the van.

I thought the staging was very good, with the projections (maybe LED screens, I couldn't tell) giving a hint of the locale. The two-height set was very nice too. The score was tuneful but not as memorable as Fun Home's (sorry, I'm a bit obsessed!).

*********************SPOILERS!********************************


The main problem I have with Little Miss Sunshine is the premise itself. It's just icky that the degenerate grandfather has taught this young innocent a stripper routine, and she performs it in public. I'm no prude, but this just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.







Updated On: 10/21/13 at 05:40 PM

[playbill-love]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 11:14pm

I saw the show on Thursday.

Overall I really enjoyed it, but it wasn't really a great piece of theatre by any standards. Every time a song would start, it would start to get good and then end 30-60 seconds later. I feel like they need to make some numbers longer and cut some of the weaker ones. The staging and set were actually pretty cool, though the parts where they ran with the chairs could have been cut down a bit after the first time. Stephanie Block, Will Swenson, and Rory O'Malley were all great, sounded amazing in their songs together, and the little girl playing Olive was hilarious. Wesley Taylor was also really great in his song with Rory and Josh Lamon, and the smaller roles he plays in the second half.

It seems like this could use an intermission - it felt like two separate acts. If they beefed up the songs a bit more an intermission would make sense after ***SPOILERS*** the grandfather dies.

Overall, it was cute and funny and enjoyable, but a mediocre show at best, performed very well by an awesome cast. I wouldn't run out to see it, but I had a fun night and enjoyed seeing these actors perform.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 11:27pm

Very forgettable show. I wanted to like it so much more then I did. I agree with the above posters- what was with the 45 second show. I don't see this getting an extension, and having much of a life after this.
No me memorable performance... And hopefully a scene or two will be cut or tightened. The scene in the men's bathroom does not belong in the show. Cut it.

[grumpyoptimist]

Posted: 10/20/13 at 11:44pm

OK, saw it tonight. I also saw the original La Jolla Playhouse version, which I have ranted about here (and to anyone who would listen) as one of the three worst pieces of theatre I have ever seen. With the same creative team, I didn't have much hope for this version. I was wrong. I REALLY liked it. Not "it's ready for Broadway right now" liked it...the opening number is choppy and a little odd to the ear (but beats the crap out of Hunter Foster's LJ folk song opening), and, as others have noted, some of the songs seem short. But the casting and acting is tremendous, the show flows and is truly a delight. The audience is actually invested in the family and what happens to them. With a little refinement, I definitely see this show as having legs. And I never, ever thought I would have anything positive to say about it after the La Jolla debacle...

Updated On: 10/21/13 at 11:44 PM

[broadwaybabe1234]

Posted: 10/21/13 at 12:08am

I saw this yesterday and i really liked it. I love FInn's writing, although it was very reminiscent of Elegies, with some tunes plucked right from it. Wish Stephanie had more to sing/belt, kind of wasted the talent her voice posses. Rory was definitely the best but had the most to work with, i was really impressed with his versatility. The rest of the cast was great although i didn't find the pagent funny at all (until *spoiler* the family got up on stage and started dancing with her). i wish it had just been the family and no secondary characters. Not sure how it would have worked but i felt myself getting annoyed when other people interupted the flow of the family.

[bwaydreamer]

Posted: 10/21/13 at 11:16am

Saw this show yesterday and really liked it. Its not Finn's most memorable score, but some of it is really beautiful. Its very William Finn so if you are expecting tons of pop melodies than you won't get that. The performances were all great, standouts being the little girl and Rory for me. The little girl was really funny and a great actress. The crowd seemed to really love it too and I definitely see this show continuing on after second stage. I would definitely see it again and can't imagine someone not having a good time at this show.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 10/21/13 at 12:12pm

I was incredibly disappointed and spent the entire time wondering what the point of it was. The movie is incredible. This is not. The cast is fantastic, Lapine has some clever staging up his sleeve... But the score is unmemorable and the libretto is a weak rehashing of the film.

I really wanted to like it. I love everyone involved, but was left so unsatisfied... I hope they keep making changes and find the right blend!

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/21/13 at 2:50pm

I found it a chore to sit through, with an undercooked score, listless direction, and several misjudged performances. The book and score are the biggest problem--they often go on far too long without a song, and when one comes, it's usually a minute-long generic tune with unmemorable lyrics. Only one song--a trio between Frank (Rory O'Malley), his former student/lover (Wesley Taylor), and his current lover/Frank's rival (Josh Lamon) is truly memorable. The rest of the music peters out.

Neither Will Swenson nor Stephanie Block is ideally cast; she overcomes her miscasting to a degree, he doesn't. But at least his character (Richard) gets a break-out song near the end of the show, forgettable though it is. Block's Sheryl never gets that moment. Nor does David Rasche's Grandpa, though he turns in a funny and touching performance. O'Malley is the star and focus whenever he's on stage, which was obvious when he got the loudest and longest curtain call applause.

The girl playing Olive is good, not great. The young actor playing Dwayne is...not great.

I've always found this to be an overpraised film, and this adaptation only highlights the inherent flaws of the work as a whole.

[pc1145N2]

Posted: 10/21/13 at 8:53pm

I saw this on Sunday evening. I loved it...it was the surprise of my weekend. I thought the cast was engaging and funny. I've never seen the movie so I had nothing to compare it to but I thought it stood alone. I'd go again in a second. I agree with the comment about Rory O'Malley. He is the star and focus which is surprising to me. I would have expected Will Swenson or Stephanie J. Block to be the stars. I'd like to see their roles bulked up a bit and a big song for Block would be fine by me.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/26/13 at 11:55pm

I was there tonight and I'm in agreement with a lot of AC's comments, though I didn't dislike it as strongly. I didn't find it a chore to sit through, though there are certainly stretches of it that are. The score is definitely...not Finn's best. It's surprisingly ballad-heavy and melody-free. I even thought the Frank-running-into-his-ex song was entirely forgettable and generic. The lyrics are pretty much on the same page as the music. Predictable and pretty routine. Why did I walk out of the show with the SPELLING BEE opening number stuck in my head and not a single one of the tunes in this score...? Not a good sign. The book fares worse. Many scenes from the film are slavishly adapted for the stage, at times seemingly word-for-word. Most of the joy, heart, and quirkiness of Arndt's fantastic screenplay are pretty much gone, and we're just left with the bare bones of the story.

Now, for the cast. Swenson is very miscast and turning in a pretty bland performance. He doesn't ever really seem overbearing, pushy, or as controlling as Greg Kinnear was in the film. And in turn, we don't really care about his characters' journey. I do think Will Chase would have been more ideal in the role. Too bad. Block is fine, as usual. She is one performer who grows on me more and more each time I see her...she has a pretty thankless part when all is said and done, but she's a warm and welcome presence. Logan Rowland and David Rasche are both not very strong, unfortunately. Particularly Rasche. I still believe Eddie Murphy was robbed of the Oscar in 2007, but I realized tonight why Arkin won (aside from his long film career), because none of the oddball crabbiness and underlying warmth are in Rasche's performance. He takes it another route and, again, is criminally bland. Hannah Nordberg is good as Olive, though I never really felt like she was the core of the show and the story, which was clear in the film, even when Olive wasn't saying much. Rory O'Malley is great, as usual. His take on the role is different from his film counterpart, but he is the only person in the show who manages to pull this off without sacrificing an interesting character altogether. It should also be noted that Jennifer Sanchez takes two extremely odd parts and makes them pretty damn funny.

I didn't have much of a problem with the staging. It has some extremely clever moments, with pretty smart choreography. The audience tonight was bizarre. Laughing and very unfunny moments, etc. But they did give a partial standing ovation, which I've noticed is a rarity nowadays off Broadway.

The show runs about an hour and 50 minutes, and around the 90 minute mark, I began to get a bit antsy. In the midst of the climax (the actual pageant), the attention keeps getting taken away from the pageant and redirected towards other, less interesting plotlines. I will admit, I genuinely laughed a bunch of times and was touched by a couple of moments, and it all goes down rather easily. But I can't help but think that almost every time I felt myself smiling or feeling for these characters, I had the scenes from the film at the forefront of my mind. Not the scenes that were happening right in front of me, in real time. It's nothing tragically horrendous, nor is it anything great. It just kinda...is. Too bad, considering how ideal of a pairing this creative team and material seemed to be from the get-go. Updated On: 10/27/13 at 11:55 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:28am

chrisampm2: Calm down. Giant was not a hit. It didn't transfer. It didn't get stellar reviews. It needed to be a bigger production. Same with this.

And Next to Normal didn't need any wing space or fly space. Hence why it was designed the way it was. Plus it's not a "big musical," which I think Little Miss Sunshine is kind of in between. It's not a chamber piece like Fun Home but it's not Big Fish.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 12:40am

and how do I get the 30 under 30 tickets online? Is there a promo code?

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 10/27/13 at 1:02am

If you go to the site, RippedMan, select the last few rows (I think it's like M-O?) of the orchestra to search for seats and once you click through, it should give you a dropdown menu where you can pick the 30 under 30 option. If it doesn't, the 30 under 30 tickets are presumably sold out for that performance. It looked like everyone who rushed tonight got in though. There were empty seats in the "mezzanine" area and one or two in the main seating area that I noticed.

I did 30 under 30 and the view was great from Row M.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 10/30/13 at 12:48pm

I saw the show this weekend and thought that it had a lot of heart and a lot of potential, but a good amount of flaws. There were moments where everything seemed to be working so well and I felt swept up in this family’s journey, but then, suddenly, something would happen that felt too forced or out of place.

The Grandpa’s “Have Sex” song should be cut. Keep it a line and move on. The song was one joke repeated the entire time and, for a song that is so blatantly supposed to have audiences roaring with laughter, the audience at my performance was only giving a few giggles throughout the song (not to say the audience was receptive to the piece – they were, in fact, quite enthusiastic throughout the show, just not in response to this song).

Perhaps the biggest reworking that needs to happen, in my opinion, is Frank’s song in the bathroom. The whole thing was so over-the-top and outlandish that I thought, at the end, we would find out this whole conversation was just in his head. The whole thing felt out of place and, when considering that these events caused Frank to attempt suicide, this song felt too light and comedic.

I also agree that I would like to see more fully-fleshed out songs. Richard has a moment or two where he starts singing a part of his 10 steps and I think it could be interesting if the entire trip were framed by the 10 steps – by the end, we would have heard them all, which would really support a line Sheryl says at the end telling him that it was his ten steps that got them there.

There is a flashback scene between the parents’ that also felt a little out of place, simply because it was the only flashback in the entire show.

I really appreciate that the show is not just the movie, word for word, onstage, but that the writers have added in a few extra dimensions and conflicts, as well.

I thought using the chairs worked extremely well for the bus and the movement of them was extremely creative and effective. It was unbelievable how real the running and jumping into the van felt.

I was disappointed in Rory O’Malley’s performance most of all. It felt like he decided on one portrayal of Frank (or, rather, one mood or action), but it kept him from having his character grow throughout the show at all (and, Frank, I believe, is one of the characters who “blossoms,” if you will, the most out of all). I think the written character allowed for this growth, but O’Malley didn’t take Frank there. I remember it feeling so rewarding to see Steve Carrell’s emotional journey from the beginning to the end and I was disappointed that O’Malley felt so stagnant the whole time.

Perhaps I am bias, as I am a fan of Stephanie’s, but I truly thought she was the stand-out in the cast. She didn’t seem afraid to show that her character is flawed, yet made her quite endearing as well, and she provided much of the heart and humor to the show.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the show and left the theatre with a happy, fulfilled heart (the last 15 minutes or so of the show are very strong). I am excited to see where this goes and think it can turn into a really wonderful musical, but I do hope they make the necessary changes and cuts. (Also, and perhaps I am only thinking this due to having the creators of “…Spelling Bee” in mind, but I think it would be a nice fit for the Circle.)

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 11/2/13 at 2:27pm

RippedMan, I seem to have offended you and that wasn't my intention. I wrote only that I hoped you'd reserve judgement about the piece and the appropriateness of the theater space until you'd seen the show. Another writer might have done the show to the scale and length you think an adaptation of the film should generate, but Finn's written his typical small show, which - to me - would be out of place in a larger production and space.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 11/2/13 at 11:41pm

No worries! I'm excited to see it! I'm a big Stephanie J. Block fan. I want to see it, but I seem to not be able to find a cheap-ish ticket.

[AntV]

Posted: 11/3/13 at 7:58am

If you're having trouble finding 30 under 30 tickets like I was, here's some help. The dates listed in this offer here: http://www.broadwaybox.com/shows/little_miss_sunshine_nyc_tickets/ all have 30 under 30 tickets remaining. I've tried some other dates and none have had 30 under 30 tickets available, but it's possible there are some others.

I didn't care much for this show. I thought the girl playing Olive was great and her character had some good lines. There were some good moments like running to get into the van, but why the hell was there a strobe light when they forgot Olive. There were some fun songs, but I wasn't feeling most of the ballads especially from the parents, nor could I care for their plot. Most interesting plot to me was Rory O'Malley's and I thought there wasn't enough story for his character. I'd say skip it and I highly doubt it goes to Broadway.

Didn't like staring at that map on the stage floor for the whole show in my second to last row seat that is so high up it's like you're in a mezzanine and that ugly red wall behind the map set was a horrible design choice.

[Matt1]

Posted: 11/3/13 at 1:37pm

I saw it last night and found a lot to like about it. The little girl, Stephanie Block, and Rory O Malley are outstanding. The entire show is very well acted. I felt at times the musical numbers felt forced and probably could have been done without. I thought the script was funny and clever. I liked how they really stuck to the movie. It might not be ready for Broadway, but it sure is ready for 2nd Stage. See it if you can!

[GottaHaveAGimmick]

Posted: 11/4/13 at 9:56am

So talented a cast; so cliche a script. Too bad.

I never saw the film. The songs were much stronger than the story. I knew where the plot was going and which heartstings were about to be played. Beef up the script and cut a few songs. (Not since Evita have I seen someone singing while carrying a corpse.)

Rory did the best job. Unfortunately, this bus is not going to Broadway.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/4/13 at 11:04am

Unfortunately, this bus is not going to Broadway.

I have heard that the cast has been told otherwise. Not to say plans can’t or won’t change, but it seems, as of now, the producers are planning on taking it to Broadway. I have a feeling this might change (or be delayed) once the reviews come out (which, I imagine, will be fairly mixed and might slow down the momentum).

Does anyone know if there have been any changes made to the show during the preview period?

[Up In One]

Posted: 11/12/13 at 11:48am

Saw the show last night and enjoyed it a lot, I am a Finn Fanatic and came away disappointed in his score for this one. I've always considered him a haphazard genius, his quirky lyric structure and word choices never fail to thrill me and there's plenty to absorb here but not many goose bump moments. The book successfully transfers the best of the film to the stage but the balance of book and song segments is off. For a 100 minute musical there are a lot of book sequences. I will very easily go back and take a deeper look, the cast and production are very good company.

SPOILERS********There was no song listing in the program so I am at a disadvantage in describing the musical numbers but many pieces felt incomplete, one sounded like a direct take from Spelling Bee, the opening had a Falsetto's feel. I really liked the bit he wrote for the bratty girls at the beginning of the show. The staging of that bit was brilliant, especially the sound enhancement of the girl's giggling. I felt they missed some great opportunities around the second half beauty pageant and use of those girls. Great moments for me were around the first jump start of the bus, the confiscation of grandpa at the hospital and Olives's talent presentation followed by the family joining her. Major misses were for the character of the grandfather, the moment the son finds his voice and the adult beauty pageant contestant. Couldn't help but feel like Jesse Tyler Ferguson would have done a better job with the thankless role of the uncle. While I will never tire of looking at Will Swenson I thought a quirkier actor would have broken his vanilla take on the character. Will also seemed to be struggling with the score. Stephanie Block was fine but combined with Swenson some color was missing.

There's a lot of possibilities here, they could have used a few more regional stops, too bad because I've got to believe the critics are not going to be kind. All the way around a more satisfying and interesting musical than Big Fish but no where as striking or successful as Fun Home.

PS loved the set, it looked ready to load into the Circle In The Square.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 11/12/13 at 12:01pm

Couldn't help but feel like Jesse Tyler Ferguson would have done a better job with the thankless role of the uncle.

I hadn’t thought of this before, but now that you have suggested it, I can’t think of anyone else better suited. His sense of humor would be spot on for the role and I could see him creating a much more dynamic character than O’Malley currently is.

Also, I feel like they have been in previews forever – when is opening? I’m interested to read the reviews.

[StageStruckLad]

Posted: 11/12/13 at 12:07pm

Surprised to hear that Swenson is still struggling with the score. He was quite pitchy when I saw it last month. I wonder what's wrong.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 11/12/13 at 12:07pm

Isn't Rory O'Malley just a poor man's Jesse Tyler Ferguson?