A new attempt to capture the tumultuous marriage of F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald on stage has landed with a thud. Beautiful Little Fool, with music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau, tries to revive the jazz age couple's story but falls short in its execution.
The musical takes a familiar path, tracing the Fitzgeralds' ascent and decline through the eyes of their daughter Scottie, who wanders through her parents' archive. While Lauren Ward delivers a moving performance as Zelda at various ages, the framing of the show feels underdeveloped, particularly with regards to Scottie's presence in the story.
The cast brings some vocal bravura to Corneau's largely poppy score, but the melodies rarely linger beyond the ballads. The show glosses over Zelda's mental health issues for a climactic moment that feels more like a check-the-box exercise than a genuine exploration of her struggles.
David Hunter does his best with F Scott's complex character, capturing his mix of arrogance and insecurity, while Amy Parker shines in moments like their tender romance in One Night in July. However, even these scenes feel fleeting and underdeveloped amidst the show's many shortcomings.
Ultimately, Beautiful Little Fool feels like a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the Fitzgeralds' relationship. Instead, it settles for a surface-level retelling of their story, replete with corny lyrics and a lack of nuance.
The musical takes a familiar path, tracing the Fitzgeralds' ascent and decline through the eyes of their daughter Scottie, who wanders through her parents' archive. While Lauren Ward delivers a moving performance as Zelda at various ages, the framing of the show feels underdeveloped, particularly with regards to Scottie's presence in the story.
The cast brings some vocal bravura to Corneau's largely poppy score, but the melodies rarely linger beyond the ballads. The show glosses over Zelda's mental health issues for a climactic moment that feels more like a check-the-box exercise than a genuine exploration of her struggles.
David Hunter does his best with F Scott's complex character, capturing his mix of arrogance and insecurity, while Amy Parker shines in moments like their tender romance in One Night in July. However, even these scenes feel fleeting and underdeveloped amidst the show's many shortcomings.
Ultimately, Beautiful Little Fool feels like a missed opportunity to delve deeper into the Fitzgeralds' relationship. Instead, it settles for a surface-level retelling of their story, replete with corny lyrics and a lack of nuance.
. The fact that they glossed over Zelda's mental health struggles feels particularly egregious, especially given the sensitivity surrounding this topic today 
. It's like they took every opportunity to subvert expectations and missed the chance to create something truly impactful. And those poppy melodies? They're just a shallow attempt to distract from the show's lack of depth 
. I mean, I wanted to believe in Beautiful Little Fool, but it feels more like a superficial homage than an actual exploration of the Fitzgeralds' complex relationship 
. I mean, can't we do better than a shallow, surface-level retelling of their story? It's like they took a few key moments from their lives - like Zelda's struggles with mental health or their iconic romance in One Night in July - and just glossed over the rest. Where's the nuance? The depth? It's like they're trying to win an easy prize rather than really digging into what made the Fitzgeralds so fascinating in the first place 
. And don't even get me started on the music - it's all poppy and forgettable, where's the jazz age flair that we know and love from F Scott's works? Overall, I think Beautiful Little Fool falls flat and misses an opportunity to really explore what made one of America's most iconic couples so compelling 
. It feels like they knew exactly how to capture the essence of F Scott and Zelda's relationship but chose to focus on the surface level instead 
. The whole show just felt rushed and lacking in depth - like they couldn't be bothered to really explore their mental health struggles or get into the complexities of F Scott's character 
. And don't even get me started on the music... it was so catchy but ultimately forgettable 
, but then they just phoned in with the rest of the show 
. What a shame! 
I'm so disappointed in this new musical, Beautiful Little Fool 
.
. I was expecting so much more from Hannah Corneau's music. The cast is talented, no doubt about it, but they're just not given enough to work with here.