A musical version of the Oscar winning comedy Little Miss Sunshine is set to open Off Broadway in October thanks to the Second Stage Theater.
The musical comes from Tony winners William Finn, who wrote the music, and James Lapine, the author of the book. Lapine will also direct, reports The New York Times. The two previously worked together on Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Preview performances at Second Stage are scheduled to start on Oct. 15, with opening night set for mid-November.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the Little Miss Sunshine musical first debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2011. Since that production, though, the play was overhauled for its New York premiere.
Carole Rothman, Second Stage’s artistic director, explained how the high profile property landed at Second Stage. “I’ve sometimes been compared to a dog with a bone,” she told the NY Times. “I really thought this piece would be a perfect match for Second Stage. Whatever else was going on with the show, I was fierce about trying to get it here. I try to tune out the noise of the theater business and just focus on getting things that are right for us. This time we won.”
Little Miss Sunshine was released in 2006 and won Oscars for its original screenplay by Michael Arndt and for the supporting performance from Alan Arkin. The film tells the story of a troubled family as they travel to a child beauty pageant.
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