Allison Cafe

We went to see the new musical, Little Miss Sunshine, for its opening weekend on February 19th. I could not have asked for a better birthday gift. Performing at the La Jolla Playhouse through the end of March, the musical is an inspiration of music and lyrics, set design, amazing performances and even a few unexpected surprises.

Having seen the movie a long time ago, I had forgotten just how many different life messages are in the story line. The musical does a fantastic job of reminding you of those messages. Like “Refuse to Lose”, the father’s overly optimistic business tagline. Or little Olive’s story of determination, and the self-confidence journey of a little girl and a teenage boy as they mature. But most of all the reminder that through it all, family is what is most important. Through their crazy road trip to California for the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, they embark on a journey together that touches on their individual and joint struggles and triumphs. Incidentally, the little girl that played Olive did a phenomenal job. I’m no play critic but she got my 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

Also worth noting was the set design. It was truly impressively simple, yet imaginative. I was really curious how they were going to portray a road trip. And don’t worry the bus is a big part of it. I loved that the Volkswagen bus was almost a character in the movie and the musical.

If you have a chance to catch this musical before it leaves town, I highly recommend it. The La Jolla Playhouse is a fantastic location, the venue is small enough that just about any seat in the house is a great seat. We were in the very last row, and it was great view. Who knows you just might leave there more inspired by their journey than before you got there. Or at least having laughed uncontrollably as Olive sings “shake my ba-donka-donk baby“!

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