Little Miss Sunshine

Laura Pitt-Pulford and Gary Wilmot to star in European premiere of Little Miss Sunshine

Sophie Thomas
Sophie Thomas

Initial casting has been announced for the upcoming production of Little Miss Sunshine at the Arcola Theatre written by James Lapine and William Finn, which will be the musical's European premiere.

Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of Olive Hoover, a young girl who wants to enter a Little Miss Sunshine beauty contest. To get to the competition, she and her family have to travel 800 miles from New Mexico to California in order to compete.

Laura Pitt-Pulford will play the role of Sheryl, Olive's mum. Nominated for an Olivier Award for best actress in a musical for her performance in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, she has also played Charity Barnum in Barnum at the Menier Chocolate Factory and Falconer in The Light Princess at the National Theatre.  

Having just finished a pantomime season as Mrs Crumble in Snow White at the London Palladium, Gary Wilmot will play Grandpa. Recently, Wilmot has played Badger in The Wind in the Willows at the London Palladium, as well as national tours of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Oklahoma.  

Gabriel Vick will play Sheryl's husband Richard, with Paul Keating and Sev Keoshgerian as Sheryl's brother Frank and Sheryl's son Dwayne respectively.

The role of Olive will be shared by Sophie Hartley Booth, Evie Gibson and Lily Mae Denman.

Ian Carlyle, Imelda Warren-Green, Matthew McDonald, Chloe Raphael, Ava Hurley, Ellicia Simondwood, Elodie Salmon, Summer Pelley, Ava Masters, Josselyn Ospina Escobar, Saffia Richards and Yvie Bent complete the cast.

Little Miss Sunshine is based on the 2006 film of the same name by Michael Arndt which won the Academy Award for best original screenplay, which won the Academy Award for best original screenplay. The film starred Abigail Breslin as Olive alongside Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell and Bryan Cranston.

Little Miss Sunshine is at the Arcola Theatre from 21st March to 11th May.

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