LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE Musical Continues; Reading Features Sherie Rene Scott, Raul Esparza

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, which earlier this year had a production at La Jolla Playhouse, has taken further steps in development. The musical features Tony Award-winning creative team of composer/lyricist William Finn and playwright/director James Lapine.

According to The New York Times, a reading featuring two of Broadway's favorites, Raul Esparza and Sherie Rene Scott, took place earlier this month. The script has been revised since its premiere, and the reading was overseen by Lapine.

The cast of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE at La Jolla Playhouse featured Hunter Foster (Urinetown, Little Shop of Horrors), Malcolm Gets ("Caroline in the City," A New Brain, Amour) and Jennifer Laura Thompson (Urinetown, Wicked).Little Miss Sunshine is based on the 2006 motion picture by Big Beach Films and Fox Searchlight with a screenplay by Michael Arndt. The film received numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In Little Miss Sunshine, the Hoover family has seen better days. Richard, the father, is a floundering motivational speaker, Grandpa's been kicked out of his retirement home for doing drugs, and Uncle Frank's been dumped by his boyfriend. Moody teenager Dwayne has taken a vow of silence and overextended mom Sheryl can do little more than slap on a smile. But when the youngest Hoover-energetic, indomitable Olive-enters a regional children's beauty pageant, the family thinks their luck could change and embarks on a cross-country trek chasing the coveted title of "Little Miss Sunshine." With a rollicking pace and moments of joyful abandon, Little Miss Sunshine is an outrageously funny and surprisingly touching new musical.

Read the New York Times article here.