Sev Keoshgerian, Paul Keating, Laura O’Byrne and Gabriel Vick (c) Richard H Smith
Little Miss Sunshine from 2006 is a kooky, off the wall story about a disfunctional family who muddle their way through their family difficulties to support their little girl in her dream of becoming a beauty queen. Olive’s naivety and her acceptance of all her family members quirks and issues is endearing and ultimately binds them together for this one mission. No one can be left behind as they all pile into their VW camper van to get from Albuquerque to California.
Olive’s dad is a failed baseball player who never made the big league, who hopes his blog, the ‘10 steps to success’, is going to be published and pay the next rent cheque. Her grandpa is a fast living, drug taking sex addict as well as Olives biggest fan and dance coach. Uncle Frank is a professor who tried to commit suicide when dumped by his boyfriend. Her brother – Dwayne has taken a vow of silence until he passes his entrance exams for flight school, so communicates through text message. And her mother is trying to hold things together while her relationship is falling apart. You can’t help but root for at least one of the characters, who are just trying to deal with life.
Related: Interview – Michael Moraghan for Little Miss Sunshine
The road trip twists and turns between boredom, breakdown and farce, with some touching moments along the way. Favourite key scenes from the film are recreated, including smuggling dead grandpa from the hospital to avoid paperwork, and the final dance scene in the beauty pageant where the young Olive innocently twerks and drop squats to Grandpas dance routine. These moments were truly farcically comedic and the highlight of the show. The soundtrack from the film was discarded for a fresh musical score, with some memorable songs that will stick in the mind, including Grandpa’s Sex song where he extolls the virtues of an amorous life. Unfortunately not all the songs are as noteworthy, but the final pageant scene and the cringey ex-beauty pageant winners song were very funny. The set was really simple by design, with the camper van being created as a simple collection of 6 chairs and a box section.
The overall feel of the production is charming rather than riotously entertaining. It appeals in the same way as the film in that you want the family to succeed, but ultimately they end up in last place despite their best efforts, but end up closer as a family overall.
Little Miss Sunshine is running at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking until 29th June 2019.
