Melissa Gilbert and rest of cast announced for Little House on the Prairie Musical

This one hits close to home as the East Coast premier of the musical is only a few towns away.  From the Paper Mill Playhouse located in Millburn, NJ.

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in this uplifting NEW musical. An award-winning team has collaborated to make this one of the best new musicals in decades! The team includes: superlative direction by internationally acclaimed Francesca Zambello (Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Broadway); a riveting book by Tony(R) Award winner Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee); a wondrous score by Oscar Winning composer Rachel Portman; lyrics by Donna di Novelli and finally: Melissa Gilbert, who played “Laura” in the beloved TV series, joins the cast as “Ma.” This heartwarming and joyous musical of the Ingalls family’s struggles and triumphs on the prairie as young Laura grows from childhood to adulthood, will leave you reveling in the pioneering spirit and core values on which our country was founded.

Joining Melissa Gilbert will be Steve Blanchard, Beauty and the Beast veteran, playing Pa; Kara Lindsay, playing Laura Ingalls; Kevin Massey of Broadway’s Tarzan playing Almanzo Wilder; Kate Loprest of Broadway’s Xanadu playing Nellie Oleson; Alessa Neeck of Lincoln Center’s Happiness playing Mary; Carly Rose Sonenclar, of Broadway’s Les Miz playing Carrie Ingalls.

I remember watching this show as a kid and I know my wife was a huge fan.  The Paper Mill Playhouse puts on some real good productions that rival some of the plays put on in New York, and if you live in NJ you might not have to travel as far.  I like how they grabbed Melissa Gilbert who was the original Laura on the television series, it should bring some of that nostalgia factor to the play for the original viewers of the series.  Anyone within driving distance go and check this out.

The show opens on September 20th and runs until October 10th.