Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...To put it bluntly, Portman just didn't find a full cast who could really perform this material; she only found part of a cast. Too many folks don't really sing and, well, we're talking Finn here, which is far from easy. A couple of them can't really get a line out without a lot of grumbly fuss and bother. And it looks a lot to me like Portman was so busy getting some of her less-experienced cast members through Sunday's opening night, vocally and choreographically speaking, that she didn't have much time left to shape the whole into the kind of intimate, ennobling and truthful experience for which one might hope."
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The musical does have its strengths-Lapine and Finn are masters at finding bittersweet comedy in life's setbacks-and Chicago Theatre Workshop's low-budget production, directed by Maggie Portman, plays to them, at least most of the time. Robert Groth and Jennifer Thusing's bare-bones set is more functional than attractive, but the performances are strong across the board; George Keating and Sophie Kaegi are especially charming as suicidal Uncle Frank (played in the movie by Steve Carell) and sassy would-be Little Miss Sunshine, respectively."
Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended
"...Though insistently upbeat despite the darker doings, Little Miss Sunshine lacks the sardonic gallows humor of the film. (The fact that the production is sponsored by a Volkswagen dealership, however, is unintentionally amusing.) Survival, it seems, is sufficient sweetness. Director/choreographer Maggie Portman's playful staging works overtime to endear and console. Nick Sula's musical direction ably handles a serviceable score where the only memorable number is the ironic title anthem (though Foster's ballad "What You Left Behind" has its pathos)."
ChicagoCritic - Not Recommended
"...It is possible that Little Miss Sunshine is better as a film? I'm going to see the film since the musical doesn't seem to work. But maybe with a cast of singers who can play quirky characters, Little Miss Sunshine can be stageworthy? Maybe. But as now presented, Little Miss Sunshine is best viewed as a film."
Around The Town Chicago - Somewhat Recommended
"...Director/Choreographer Maggie Portman, in her first major production shows that she has "the stuff", to take on this role. It is this script (based on the film by Michael Arndt) with a book written by James Lapine and music by William Finn, that seems to have let us down. It is possible that had LaPine asked for Sondheim assistance, some of the words would have worked better, but this is what they wrote and Portman and her cast did the most with what they had to work with."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is a fun, feel-good show! You'll leave the theatre smiling and talking about who played who in the movie. The movie is excellent. The play maintains the overall premise. And the musical element even heightens the happy ending with a spirited Shake Your Badonkadonk number. It's got a lot of pep! I would, however, recommend seeing the movie before the play so you can delight on a reminiscent journey and avoid getting lost in transit by all Lapine's shortcuts"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Somewhat Recommended
"...Or maybe it sags too often. Director Maggie Portman largely overcomes the musical's central staging limitation - that is, mostly setting it inside a moving van - with some nifty box choreography. But, even so, there are awkward gaps and blackouts where there should be a monomaniacal drive to make it to the finish line."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...The young talent of this production goes beyond just the family. Three young "mean girls" are portrayed with graceful evilness by Chayce Davis, Jersie Joniak and Tatum Pearlman. The three then become the other contestants in the beauty pageant and embody everything hilarious and ridiculous about this strange custom."
