Last week, I heard on the news that the Little House On The Prairie, The Musical would be in Raleigh, NC. I also heard that Melissa Gilbert would be playing the role of "Ma" or Caroline Ingalls. I loved the show growing up. I thought Melissa Gilbert was great as Laura Ingalls. I have watched just about everything on television that she has done. I really wanted to go see her on stage.
I also wanted to see my son's reaction to a live performance. He loves music and dancing. I also felt that his attention span was developed enough that he would be able to sit through an entire performance. After all, he did sit and watch the entire Avatar movie in the theatre.
I contacted their marketing center and they arranged for me to have 4 tickets waiting at the ticket counter. My husband wasn't thrilled. He doesn't like musicals. My children were excited. We arrived at the Progress Energy Center For The Performing Arts early. This place is really nice. I had no problem getting our tickets. We found the bathrooms with a little help. The concession stands and souvenir stands were easy to find. The cost of one bottle of water was $3.00. We bought one and that was it. My daughter wanted me to buy some souvenirs, but we couldn't afford them.
We settled into our seats, which were in the third row. I give them high marks for giving us tickets so close. If we were in the back, I'm not sure that my son would have been as entranced with the show. I'm not even sure if we would have been able to stay for the whole two and a hours if we were seated far away from the stage.
There is one important thing that I need to tell you about today's performance. Melissa Gilbert was not in it. I was very disappointed. I had heard on the news that she was having back problems, so I do understand. Nevertheless, I was still disappointed. The role of "Ma" was performed today by Meredith Inglesby. I thought she did a great job. Her chemistry with the rest of the cast appeared effortless.
The lead character is considered to be Laura Ingalls, played by Megan Campanile, but it was Kate Loprest and her portrayal of Nellie Olson that stole the show. During Act II, Kate literally stopped the show when her perfect comedic timing in one scene had the audience laughing loud and long. The three actors on stage had to wait for us to get ourselves under control before continuing their scene.
My son loved the show. He was sitting up on the edge of his seat, with his eyes fixed on the stage, for most of the performance. A couple of the slow songs had him relaxing in his seat, but once the music from the orchestra picked up, he was back up on the edge of his seat.
I recommend Little House On The Prairie, The Musical as a great family performance. Even without Melissa Gilbert it was worth going to. I am still disappointed. I would have liked to have seen her. I would have liked to have been able to interview her. I also would have liked to have interviewed other members of the cast, especially Kate Loprest. If you would like to know if there will be a performance near you, visit the Little House On The Prairie, The Musical website. You can get dates, times and ticket information on the site.
One final thought. When I asked my son what he thought of the show, he typed out "awesome."
