Little Miss Sunshine Musical to Make European Premiere at Arcola Theatre; U.K. Tour to Follow

Little Miss Sunshine, the quirky off-Broadway musical based on the Oscar-winning motion picture, will make its European premiere in a brand-new 2019 production at the Arcola Theatre in London. Mehmet Ergen will direct the musical, slated to begin previews on March 21 for a seven-week run through May 11, followed by a U.K. tour starting at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, England beginning on May 20.

Little Miss Sunshine follows the Hoover family, who has more than a few troubles—but young Olive has her heart set on winning the Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest. When an invitation to compete comes out of the blue, the Hoovers must pile into their rickety, yellow VW camper van. Can it survive the 800-mile trip from New Mexico to California—and more important, can they?

Little Miss Sunshine features a book by James Lapine and a score by William Finn, the collaborators behind Falsettos and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The musical made its off-Broadway debut, directed by Lapine, in a 2013 production with Second Stage, boasting a cast of theater stars including Stephanie J. Block, Will Swenson, Rory O'Malley, Wesley Taylor, Dee Roscioli, David Rasche and newcomer Hannah Rose Nordberg. Casting for the European production is to come.

The new staging of Little Miss Sunshine will feature design by David Woodhead, lighting design by Richard Williamson, choreography by Anthony Whiteman and musical supervision by Mark Crossland.