Little Miss Sunshine
Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by James Lapine
Directed by Colin Healy
Fly North Theatricals
April 25, 2025
Ken Haller, Connor Becker, Eileen Engel, Zoe Klevorn, Dareis Lambert, Brian McKinley
Photo by Colin Healy
Fly North Theatricals
The trend for making popular films into stage musicals continues, on and off Broadway and around the world. While some of these shows turn out to be great, others make me wonder why the movie even needed to be made into a musical. Little Miss Sunshine, currently being staged by Fly North Theatricals at the Greenfinch Theater and Dive under the direction of Colin Healy, is a bit hit-or-miss for me as a show, despite its excellent team of celebrated creators William Finn and James Lapine. It has its moments, but I’m not sure it adds anything for viewers who have already seen the film. Still, FNT has taken the opportunity to assemble an enthusiastic cast and employ some inventive staging to fill their small space at the Greenfinch with a lively, entertaining show that makes the most of its resources.
Essentially, if you’ve seen the film of Little Miss Sunshine, you know the plot of the musical. The focus is on the quirky, dysfunctional Hoover family from Albuquerque, NM, and particularly the determined young Olive (Zoe Klevorn). Olive, encouraged by her eccentric, hedonistic Grandpa (Ken Haller), has entered a child beauty pageant in California and has made it to the finals, so for various reasons, the whole family decides to drive her there in Grandpa’s old, unreliable VW Bus. Along for the ride with Olive and Grandpa are Olive’s parents Sheryl (Eileen Engel) and Richard (Brian McKinley), as well as their moody older son Dwayne (Connor Becker) and Sheryl’s depressed brother Frank (Dareis Lambert), who has just gone through a painful breakup. As the family makes their eventful trip, they deal with personality conflicts, relationship issues, and overarching hopes, fears, and regrets, culminating in the big contest finale that brings its own share of surprises. The cast is also supported by Parker Collier, who plays a variety of supporting adult roles, along with young Zy Beckley, Brynja Murphy, and Callum Thompson who play a chorus of Olive’s “Mean Girl” classmates as well as the other pageant contestants.
While there isn’t really anything new here, and the songs aren’t as memorable as they could be–as well as many of them seeming more like snippets of musical dialogue rather than full songs–the staging here is fun and adds much in the way of drama. In fact, the collection of yellow rolling chairs that make up the “bus” can almost be considered characters in their own right, and they add much in the way of energy and humor to the emotionally fraught road trip that is the centerpiece of this story. The detailed projection design by Healy along with the vivid set painting by Katie Orr also contribute vibrancy to the atmosphere, along with Bradley Rohlf’s lighting design, Kel Rolf’s excellent costumes and props, and Angela Healy’s energetic choreography of the “Shake My Badankadonk” beauty pageant finale sequence. The whole production is adapted to fit the Greenfinch space especially well.
As for the cast, the young performers especially shine, led by Klevorn in a dynamic, highly likable performance as the determinedly upbeat Olive. Becker is also strong in an emotional turn as Dwayne, who seems embarrassed by his family but is also clearly devoted to his little sister. Haller makes the most of his role as the quintessential “dirty old man”, Grandpa, as well as a few other memorable roles. Engel is in excellent voice and relatable as Sheryl, and McKinley is fine as Richard as well. Lambert, as Uncle Frank, also turns in a fine performance, and the rest of the ensemble is also memorable, especially Collier, who has fantastic comic timing and makes an especially strong impression in a variety of quirky roles.
Overall, Little Miss Sunshine is an entertaining show that makes the most of its unconventional performance space. While I’m not sure this musical adaptation really needs to exist, this production from FNT justifies its existence with an enthusiastic cast and especially clever staging. It’s a fun experience, for the most part, and a showcase for some excellent local performers.
Eileen Engel, Brian McKinley
Photo by Colin Healy
Fly North Theatricals
Fly North Theatricals is presenting Little Miss Sunshine at Greenfinch Theater & Dive until May 4, 2025
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