Starring David Hunter, Lauren Ward and the show’s composer Hannah Corneau, the world premiere production of Beautiful Little Fool will run at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 15 January to 28 February 2026 (press night on 22 January).
With music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau and a book by Mona Mansour, directed by Michael Greif, Beautiful Little Fool tells the story of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald through the eyes of their daughter Scottie, as she rediscovers the lives and writings of her brilliant and tempestuous parents.
David Hunter (Waitress, Once, Kinky Boots, The Time Traveller’s Wife) plays F. Scott alongside Olivier and Tony-nominated actress Lauren Ward (Matilda, Dear Evan Hansen, Stranger Things: The First Shadow) as Scottie and Hannah Corneau (Wicked, Renascence, Frozen) as Zelda.
The company is completed by David Austin-Barnes (Book of Mormon, US tour) as ensemble/cover F. Scott, Amy Parker (13 Going on 30, Manchester Opera House, Ride, Charing Cross Theatre) as Ensemble/cover Scottie and Zelda and Jasmine Hackett (Muriel’s Wedding, Leicester Curve, Toys the Musical, Watford) as swing.
The London production of Beautiful Little Fool will have orchestrations by Adam Rothenberg, musical direction by Jerome van den Berghe, set design by Shankho Chaudhuri, costume design by Laura Hopkins, lighting design by Ben Stanton and sound design by Domnic Bilkey.
Tony-nominated director Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens, Next to Normal, Dear Evan Hansen, Hell’s Kitchen) said: “As the recently released concept album of Beautiful Little Fool continues to find new listeners around the world, we can’t wait to bring this extraordinary story to life on stage in January.”
David Hunter
Pictures: Pamela Raith
Producer Mark Cortale, who commissioned the musical in 2022 through the developmental theatre lab New Works Provincetown, added: “It is thrilling to welcome Lauren and David to join Hannah in bringing this extraordinary new musical to London. The concept album has already given audiences a taste of Hannah’s remarkable score, and now we cannot wait to see the show come alive on stage at Southwark Playhouse.”
The Beautiful Little Fool concept album – featuring Jessie Mueller, Ryan Vasquez and Hannah Corneau – continues to build excitement ahead of the London premiere. Videos of Hannah Corneau recording ‘Built to Last’, ‘One Night in July’ (featuring the whole cast) and ‘So Alive’, sung by Jessie Mueller, are available alongside the complete album on all major platforms, including Spotify and Amazon.
Recorded in New York with orchestrations and musical direction by Adam Rothenberg, the album offers an early introduction to Hannah Corneau’s lush and emotionally charged score.
Years on from the Roaring Twenties, with the party long over, the lives and writings of Scottie Fitzgerald’s legendary parents, F. Scott and Zelda, are brought vividly to life in this new musical.
Beautiful Little Fool is presented by Mark Cortale, Jonathan Murray, Harvey Reese and Willette and Manny Klausner.
Beautiful Little Fool runs at The Large, Southwark Playhouse Borough, 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD from 15 January to 28 February (press night is 22 January). Show times: 7pm (Monday to Saturday) and Tuesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Ticket prices: Standard from £28, Concession from £22.50, Previews £16, Pioneers’ Preview (15 Jan) £10. Box Office team on 020 7407 0234 and boxoffice@southwarkplayhouse.co.uk. Running time: one hour, 30 minutes. The production contains themes of alcoholism and strong language. Recommended for ages 12-plus. Captioned Performance: 28 January at 7pm.
BeautifulLittleFoolMusical.com
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