A new musical, Beautiful Little Fool, opens at Southwark Playhouse in the New Year.
With music and lyrics by Hannah Corneau, book by Mona Mansour, it tells the story of the Scott Fitzgeralds through the eyes of their daughter, Scottie.
Where: Southwark Playhouse Borough
When: 15 Jan-28 Feb 2026
Ticket link: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/beautiful-little-fool/
Hannah, who also plays Zelda Fitzgerald in Beautiful Little Fool, tells us a bit more about the show.
The Scott Fitzgeralds are iconic figures in American popular culture. Why make a musical about them, and why now?
I have always had a fascination with Zelda. I wanted to magnify and amplify her human experience, 100 years later.
Before Daisy [Buchanan, character in the novel The Great Gatsby], there was Zelda. And the original “beautiful little fool” was Scottie.
Was it always the intention to have Scottie telling the story rather than using more traditional biographies?
It was a very early spark of inspiration after hearing a lot of the music I had composed. We had always been allured by the right window into their world, and we thought that Scottie was such a beautiful one.
Tell me a bit about the songs and how they fit into the story.
It was a Sunday night in Washington Heights when the song “Writer Now” came to me. I wanted to write a song about Zelda Fitzgerald. A week later I had written 14 songs about her.
It was a miraculously prolific time as a creator. I often say, “her spirit came through my window that night and told me what to say. “ My mind goes to the Spanish word – Duende.
What do you hope audiences will take away from this show?
I hope they witness the human experience and are affirmed in the fact that they are enough, worthy, and capable of love.
What’s next after Southwark Playhouse?
Stay tuned 😉