‘The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice’ Series Adaptation In Works By Miramax TV

Miramax TV has teamed with Dominic Treadwell-Collins’s Happy Prince on a series adaptation of Jim Cartwright’s award-winning play The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, which inspired the 1998 Miramax film Little Voice. 

Cartwright is writing the TV series adaptation, which is part of Miramax’s strategy of mining the company’s IP library to create new international series. 

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice tells the story of shy, working-class LV, who has the extraordinary ability to mimic the great singing divas of the 20th Century. When a small-time talent agent forces her into the spotlight, a battle between LV and her abusive, boozing mother erupts. 

Miramax TV is co-producing with London based Treadwell-Collins’s drama label, Happy Prince, part of ITV Studios. 

“Jim Cartwright’s classic, big-hearted play is a timeless and uplifting tale about finding your voice in a noisy world and standing your ground against the odds in overwhelming and confusing times,” said Marc Helwig, Miramax Head of Worldwide Television. “We are thrilled to partner with Dominic Treadwell-Collins and ITV Studios to make LV’s bold and beautiful voice heard on television screens around the globe.” 

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy in 1992. The original production was directed by Sam Mendes and premiered at the National Theatre in London in 1992, transferred to the West End and eventually to Broadway in 1994. 

The film adaptation starred Jane Horrocks in the title role, alongside Brenda Blethyn and Michael Caine. Blethyn was nominated for an Academy Award for the role and Caine won the Golden Globe for his performance. 

“What an amazing and exciting opportunity for an author to revisit his characters once again, and to continue the journey and to be blessed on such an enterprise with the innovative and creative calibre of Dominic Treadwell-Collins and the team at Happy Prince and Marc Helwig of Miramax.” 

Treadwell-Collins most recently produced A Very English Scandal series for the BBC and Amazon, written by Russell T Davies and directed by Stephen Frears. Starring Hugh Grant and Ben Whishaw, the series received multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations in 2019, earning a Golden Globe win for Whishaw. 

“The humor, pathos and pure magic of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice have stayed with me ever since I watched the first production at the National Theatre as a teenager – and it’s been a long-held dream of mine to bring Jim Cartwright’s incredible characters to television,” Treadwell-Collins said. “I’m so excited to be working with Jim, Marc and Miramax to delve deeper into LV’s northern showbiz fairytale.”