On November 25 Ken and I joined my parents at the Fox Theatre to see "Little House on the Prairie" the musical. The show had it's world premiere at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, MN a year ago. I really wanted to travel to Minneapolis to see the show but with my hectic work schedule I was unable to get there. I was delighted when I saw the show was coming to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.
Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most popular and beloved celebrations of pioneering America since Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first book of her classic series 75 years ago. I read some of the "Little House" books as a child and of course I remember watching the television show. Melissa Gilbert, played “Laura” for 10 years in the much-loved television series and she played the role of “Ma” in the musical. Although Melissa Gilbert does not have a strong singing voice, I couldn't have imagined anyone else I would have rather seen in the role. Having Melissa in the musical somehow seemed just right!
Melissa Gilbert as "Ma" and Steve Blanchard as "Pa"Through the magic of live theatre, the musical follows the Ingalls family‘s journey westward and settlement in DeSmet, South Dakota where Ma and Pa Ingalls hoped to make a better life for their children. It tells the story of their struggle to keep their land claim. In story, song and dance, we see the Ingalls suffering the hardships of winter blizzards and prairie fires as well as rejoicing in the settlement of land and town. Most of all, the story follows Laura as she grows from the wild child who loved to run free into a woman who embraces the responsibilities of her own future while struggling to remain true to herself.
The rest of the cast had strong voices and Kara Lindsay who played Laura was a standout. The show was a family affair because Melissa Gilbert's youngest son, Michael Boxleitner, played Willie Olsen on stage. At the end of the show, Melissa Gilbert gave a heartfelt speech about the true meaning of Thanksgiving and encouraged the audience to be thankful for what we have and to give onto others. I wanted to go to the stage door and meet Melissa Gilbert, but it was the night before Thanksgiving and Ken's birthday. I felt bad that Ken had to attend this musical on his birthday, but Wednesday night was the only evening we had available to attend the show since we were going down to the lake for Thanksgiving. Ken enjoyed the show but endured a lot of teasing when people found out he attended the show on his 35th birthday.
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