Gary Wilmot, Laura Pitt-Pulford & More to Lead Little Miss Sunshine Musical in London

A talented cast has been assembled for the first European staging of Little Miss Sunshine, the quirky musical based on the Oscar-winning motion picture. The previously announced production will play London's Arcola Theatre for a seven-week run beginning on March 21 and concluding on May 11, followed by a U.K. tour starting at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich, England beginning on May 20.

Leading the cast will be Gary Wilmot (Dick Whittington) as Grandpa, Laura Pitt-Pulford (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) as Sheryl, Paul Keating (Kenny Morgan) as Frank, Gabriel Vick (Manhattan Parisienne) as Richard, Sev Keoshgerian (The Musical of Musicals) as Dwayne, Ian Carlyle (Don’t Dress for Dinner) as Larry/Buddy, Imelda Warren-Green (The Little Mermaid) as Linda/Miss California and Matthew McDonald (Our House) as Joshua Rose/Kirby. The role of Olive will be shared by newcomers Sophie Hartley Booth, Evie Gibson and Lily Mae Denman.

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?

The Little Miss Sunshine ensemble will include Chloe Raphael, Ava Hurley, Ellicia Simondwood, Elodie Salmon, Summer Pelley, Ava Masters, Josselyn Ospina Escobar, Saffia Richards and Yvie Bent.

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 New York debut, directed by Lapine, in a 2013 production with Second Stage.

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.