Little House on the Prairie The Musical ~ My Review

Last night, I was given the opportunity to review the new production of Little House on the Prairie The Musical on its opening night in Detroit, MI. I was excited to see Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls on the TV series, playing the role of “Ma”. Not to mention, I was intrigued to see how this story would be put to a musical score.

At the raising of the curtain, I was immediately drawn into the melody and movement of the great move “out west”. I felt the excitement of  the Ingalls family as they packed their belongings and headed out on their wagon. It was neat to see how the cast was able to make me feel like I was traveling with them while they rocked with the movement of the “wagons”.

The set for the play was enough to give me a feel for their home or the prairie without taking away from the acting on stage. In fact, the flow from one scene to another was flawless and smooth as I followed the story’s moving from one character to another.

Melissa Gilbert was beautiful and charming; just the way I remember “Ma” being on the series. I really enjoyed watching her in this role and can not imagine what this production has meant to her. She should be incredibly proud of her history with this story and should know that although Kara Lindsay (who played the role of Laura Ingalls) was fantastic, there will never be another quite like her.

Speaking of Kara Lindsay, I was captivated with her from the moment she took the stage. Her performance was moving and her voice was out of this world. She had a commanding presence on the stage and drew me in to her story and her family right from the start.

Kara sparkled with spunk and took her viewers through each stage of her life; from being a young girl to being a woman and a wife. And although I know her story very well, I felt myself relating to and rooting for her all over again.

 

I also greatly enjoyed the performance of Kate Loprest who played Nellie Oleson. She perfectly embodied the kind of person anyone would love to hate while making the audience burst with laughter at her antics. She was the perfect “enemy” and quickly became a person I looked forward to seeing again and again as the plot unfolded. She even reminded me a bit of Kristin Chenoweth in Wicked.

This is something that is perfect for the whole family to see. I would encourage everyone to check it out. You’ll enjoy seeing Melissa Gilbert share this loving story one more time in a new way.

Little House on the Prairie The Musical is on tour now so be sure to find out when it will roll into a town near you.

P.S. I was able to briefly see Melissa Gilbert after the show. She was tired and busy but gracious enough to sign a few autographs for some young girls. Who knows? Maybe one of them will be the next Laura Ingalls. Personally, I was just honored to have seen her long enough to say “Thank you”.

The Fine Print

*Credit to the Little House on the Prairie The Musical website for all graphics used in this review.

*Thanks to Type A Marketing for the review opportunity.

**This review is based strictly on my experience at the production and my opinion of that experience. I was not compensated for my review beyond receiving tickets to the performance. Please see my disclosure policy at the bottom of my blog page.**