LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE begins previews tonight- anyone going?

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 12:18am

Little Miss Sunshine begins previews tonight- anyone going?
Seeing it this weekend- excited to hear about this one....





Updated On: 10/15/13 at 12:18 AM

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 12:36am

Jordan said the invited dress was canceled tonight.

[jbm2]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 9:51am

Hope it still goes on tonight.....

[AC126748]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 9:59am

It's still scheduled to go on as of now.

Updated On: 10/15/13 at 09:59 AM

[abbagirl]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 1:19pm

I'll be there tonight! :)

[xoffender45]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:19pm

Went tonight and absolutely LOVED it. They managed to capture the film's heart, which was something I felt Big Fish wasn't able to do. It was funny, it was touching, the songs were great and memorable.

My only suggestion would be cutting or editing Will Swenson's song when ***spoiler alert*** his father dies. *end spoiler* It was long and slow, and brought down the pacing of the show.

Updated On: 10/15/13 at 10:19 PM

[xoffender45]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:21pm

Also, it should be noted that Hannah Nordberg (Olive) is a star in the making.

And her Playbill bio is hilarious, crediting her in some roles such as Miss Hannigan and Gaston in Beauty and the Beast.

[ClydeBarrow]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:21pm

Um...Will Chase isn't in the show anymore.

[xoffender45]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:28pm

Um...slip of the brain. Fixed.

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:48pm

What is the running time?

[xoffender45]

Posted: 10/15/13 at 10:52pm

About an hour and 45 minutes, no intermission.

[BwayGeek2]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 12:18pm

I'm seeing it Thursday night-- so excited!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 1:45pm

Can I get the $30 under 30 tickets in advance or is it like a two hour before sorta thing.

[MKunkel]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 5:12pm

RippedMan, you can get them in advance. You just have to present an ID for each ticket to pick them up, not just for the order. And you can do it online, or over the phone or in person!

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 10:42pm

I was there tonight and there's a lot of promise, but I think there's also still a lot of work that needs to be done. I feel like for every bit of praise there's a "but" that follows. For example, the young girl playing Olive is excellent, but she needs a better/bigger song to sing at the beginning and should probably have a duet with her mother and/or father sometime during the show.

The score drove me crazy; it's appropriately jaunty and tuneful, but I felt like I was at Motown because half of the songs were only 45 seconds long. I was ready to scream at the stage when Stephanie J Block began a beautiful melody called "Something better, better happen." (Or thereabouts- there is no song list in the Playbill.) She starts off and I sense we're going to a "Holding to the Ground" moment when the damn thing trails off! I wanted to heckle the band to let her finish!

Likewise Olive gets the start of what could be a terrific I want number, but it's over before it can begin. The song needs to be expanded ASAP because she would really kill the number.

When the score is allowed to breathe it can be Finn at his best. Rory O'Malley, who is currently the best thing about the show, is aided by taking part in the two best numbers. The first is a trio in a gas station bathroom between him, his beloved and his academic nemesis. Rory really sold the crap out of it. The second number was a duet between him and Dwayne at the Game Room. It's a "Everyone Hates Their Parents" moment and nicely develops each of the characters. It's in no small part that O'Malley feels like the most complete character because he gets the strongest moments in the score.

The musical version of Little Miss Sunshine favors heart over quirkiness, and that's not a bad thing. The story is sweetly told and I really enjoyed the final 15 minutes.

If you haven't seen the movie, which the musical follows closely, then don't read further*********************************


I had issue with the role of the grandpa. He needs a longer song with Olive before he dies and the part overall needs to be punched up a bit so we feel the sting of his loss more.

There are two technical aspects of the film that didn't translate so well to the stage. The first and obvious one is the van. The van is just 6 yellow chairs, and it reminded me of the "car" staging they used in Death Takes a Holiday. The iconic scene of pushing the van and jumping in just doesn't have near the effect without a real van. I realize it may not have been feasible to bring a real van to this off-Broadway space, but if this has hopes of transferring to Broadway, they need a van. (Sorry Will, another show where you have to sit in a vehicle the whole time!)

The second is the loss of the dessert scenery. One of the more devastating scenes in the movie is when Dwayne finally speaks and run down the side of the hill. Being lost in the dessert is such an important metaphor for the family, and although there are some tasteful projections it's just not the same.

END SPOILERS*****************


With all that said, I still did like the show. Most of the time you go to an early preview and it's three hours long and you're thinking, "Cut this, cut that." With Little Miss Sunshine I wanted more of this and more of that. I hope they keep working on it because I think there's a great show waiting to burst out of there.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:00pm

I haven't seen the show yet, but I'd agree only because it's a 90min show and the movie is longer, no? The play should be longer.

And it also seems like the wrong production for 2nd Stage. Their space doesn't allow for a lot. There's no fly space, no wing space, etc. You can't do much, and for a big musical it's def hard. Where was the band placement?

[Comden Green]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:13pm

Among that best parts of the show is the Dwayne character and actor. he really sold it. As said, the car is a major weakness. But the solution is not having a van on stage. The chairs allowed for more staging creativity. But it isn't enough. Maybe there just needs to be more difference from the film a major change so that there are more scenes that are not in the car. . I did enjoy the show but I don't see how it could possibly transfer to broadway. It is not a big enough show. Olive is a real winner. Perfectly cast. Oh one more thing. Olives chubby suit needs to be chubbier. She does not come across as being chubby and that's an important aspect.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:25pm

The film is 101 minutes and the musical is 100 minutes. I think it could easily be 2 acts with a nice break being

SPOILER***************


the grandpa's death.


END SPOILER*************

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/16/13 at 11:57pm

I totally agree. Usually when a movie transfers to the stage it becomes longer. This seems like a big cop-out. I'm not sure it's the best idea for a musical in the first place, but eh, it could work. Didn't they have a van in San Diego when they did it, or no?

[VotePeron]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:03am

Has anyone rushed, or seen the line? Curious how long i'd have to commit to lining up. Would prefer to get there around 6pm this Friday.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:06am

Would check to see if it's sold-out or not first. I asked about 30 under 30 tickets today and they are all sold-out until next Friday.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:12am

I think it's good material for musicalization, and Finn should be a perfect fit. I mean, doesn't the character set up practically SCREAM Falsettos? It's Trina and her men (plus Olive/Jason) riding in a van. Because of his previous work it's impossible not to feel a little deja vu with the characters and his melodies. The opening even reminds you of "Four Jews in a Room Bitiching."

[RippedMan]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 12:38am

I just think it's the wrong venue. It's a small show sure, but it needs to be bigger in scope. It's a road trip musical, which is just tough to pull off anyway.

[chrisampm2]

Posted: 10/17/13 at 1:42am

RippedMan, it may not be a Broadway house, but I'm pretty sure Second Stage has room in the wings and fly space. Next to Normal worked very well there.

You haven't seen the show so how can you be sure what it "needs?" Peter and the Starcatcher took place on ships and worked fine in a small Off-Bwy house. Giant was an epic with multiple locations and still fit in fine on a stage with even fewer resources than Second Stage.

I hope you can sit back and reserve judgment.

[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.