Little Miss Sunshine opened Thursday at the Little Lake Theatre in Canonsburg. Little Lake is currently in its 70th season and is community theatre in the best sense. There are opportunities for aspiring performers to learn theatre from the basics, to behind the scenes to the curtain call. Actors with other full-time careers work along with Equity pros. Pre-show soft and adult beverage service is available along with excellent desserts for purchase at intermission. The cozy atmosphere is facilitated by a mix of traditional and table seating. Theatre offerings are varied and diverse, with Macbeth up next, a first for the company. The in-the-round staging leads to minimalist scenery. Little Lake is a unique, funky community theatre with a friendly vibe and shows that are always entertaining, often in unexpected ways.
Author James Lapine adapted this musical from the much loved 2006 movie of the same name. Lapine has a rich history writing musicals, including Sunday in the Park with George (with Stephen Sondheim) and three Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical for Into the Woods, Falsettos, and Passion. Locally, Front Porch Theatricals produced his A New Brain this summer.
(left to right) Nate Butler (Richard Hoover), Warren Ashburn (Grandpa), Lola Armfield (Olive Hoover), Leah Hillgrove (Sheryl Hoover), Max Andrae (Dwayne Hoover), and Chris Martin (Uncle Frank)
Little Miss Sunshine features a quirky middle-class family who will do anything to make their young daughter’s / granddaughter’s / sister’s / niece’s beauty pageant dream come true. Richard Hoover, the father (Nate Butler), is a down on his luck motivational book writer and speaker. Grandpa (Warren Ashburn) was evicted from his retirement home for having a little too much fun with dope and the ladies. Uncle Frank (Christopher Martin) is a suicidal professor who moves in for supervision after having been dumped by his lover. Dwayne (Max Andrae), the typically moody high school boy, has taken a vow of silence until he attains his high flying dream. Sheryl (Leah Hillgrove) tries to hold it all together as mothers most often do. Olive (Lola Armfield alternating with Chloe Griffin), full of youthful energy and excitement, enters a regional children’s beauty pageant. The entire family piles onto Grandpa’s old VW bus for a trip across the Southwest so Olive can vie for the Little Miss Sunshine crown.
Shout out’s to Warren Ashburn for his joyful portrayal of Grandpa. Lea Hillgrove for her realistic representation of the only “adult” in the family as the overworked and overextended every-mom. Max Andrea, her son in the show and in real life, due to his vow of silence, doesn’t have a lot of dialog, but when he does, he is fantastic. No road trip could happen today without a GPS, and Katie Kerr-Springer’s Map Bitch has just the right Siri sweetness until Dad causes one too many re-routes and the Map Bitch becomes unhinged. (Just as I imagine mine does!)
(left to right) Nate Butler (Richard Hoover) and Leah Hillgrove (Sheryl Hoover)
The Band is comprised of Matt Brown on piano and Rob Fitchett on drums with Music Direction by Holly Jones. The range of voices matches the variety of characters keeping with the theme. Hillgrove possesses the richest singing voice of the cast which she puts to good use.
Even though, despite the pedigree of its author, Little Miss Sunshine, never made the journey to Broadway. This show is, however, the perfect vehicle to show off the diverse talents of community theatre actors and to provide an entry vehicle for children to explore acting on stage. Little Miss Sunshine is entertaining, funny and heartwarming; well worth a trip to Little Lake.
A note to parents, the show contains adult situations, language, drug use, and sexual references. Use your judgment as to its suitability for your children.
Little Miss Sunshine is at the Little Lake Theatre in Canonsburg with performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday @ 8 pm and Sundays @ 2 pm now through September 15th.
For tickets visit https://www.artful.ly/littlelake/store/events/13784
Photos courtesy of Little Lake Theatre.
Categories: Feature