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Musical continues at Paper Mill Playhouse through Oct. 10
BY STUART DUNCAN
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
REVIEW
When the musical version of "Little House on the Prairie" opened lately in the Midwest, audiences broke all records at the box office, but the critics were far less impressed.
Since that time, the creators have worked hard to improve the production –– only two of the original songs remain (out of 26 in total.) The first act was completely re-written.
Now that the show has opened at Millburn's Papermill Playhouse, the second stop on an ambitious nation-wide tour, audiences continue to rush to grab seats and the show is expected to be a complete sellout. The critics will probably be somewhat more kind, but problems still remain.
The script is based on the popular books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, which covered the exciting time of her life when she, her parents and siblings braved the perils of the unknown and settled in the tiny hamlet of De Smet, S.D., in the 1870s and 80s.Today the small town (population 1,164 at the last census) acts as host to tourists on their way to the Black Hills or Mount Rushmore, and there is an annual pageant to celebrate the memory of the books and their author.
The musical covers much of the fabric of the tales – the hardscrabble life on the prairie, the wheat fires, Laura's sister Mary losing her sight and Laura taking up teaching and flirting with the Wilder boy.
And all with music that is tinged with saccharine sweetness. The voices are splendid, especially that of Steve Blanchard, as Pa, Alessa Neeck, as Mary, and Kevin Massey, as Almanzo.
Kara Lindsay, as Laura, almost steals the evening, but the script has been slanted her way, as indeed it was in the TV series that became so popular. The ensemble dancing (credit Michele Lynch) is energetic and powerful, mostly of the ho-down variety. And Francesca Zambello's direction is outstanding.
Audiences will love it, but there are some large stumbling blocks. The evening never really soars; songs seem to end rather than finish. The dialogue becomes predictable and we never really care that much about the characters. The decision was made, apparently, to skip Broadway and concentrate on the rest of the country. And it seems a good one.
Audiences will flock to the box offices around the country. And with Melissa Gilbert (TV's original Laura, now playing Ma) she will be welcomed warmly across the U.S.
Little House on the Prairie will continue at Papermill Playhouse, Millburn through October 10. Call the box office at (973) 376-4343 for performance times and reservations. Be prepared with alternate dates and time since seats are very limited.
http://www.americanpopularculture.com/archive/bestsellers/almanzo.htm