Photo Coverage: Melissa Gilbert Signs 'Prairie Tale: A Memoir' at Borders
By: Linda Lenzi Jun. 11, 2009
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, a new musical based on the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder series of classic American books, will launch a national tour in October at The Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, following a five-week engagement beginning September 10 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J. Melissa Gilbert, who rose to fame as a child playing ‘Laura' in the hugely successful NBC television series "Little House on the Prairie" during the 1970's, now continues her legacy ‘on the prairie' by taking on the role of Ma. LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE will also star Steve Blanchard as Pa and Kara Lindsay as Laura. Ms. Gilbert's new book Prairie Tale: A Memoir by Simon & Schuster was released this week and the acclaimed actress had a book sigining at the Time Warner Center Borders on Wednesday June 10th.
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, with Gilbert, Blanchard and Lindsay, had its world premiere production in August, 2008 at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, where it shattered all box-office records and sold-out for 12 consecutive weeks. The show is directed by Francesca Zambello (Disney's The Little Mermaid), with music by Academy Award winner Rachel Portman (Emma), lyrics by Donna di Novelli and a book by Tony Award winner Rachel Sheinkin (The 25TH Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). The producers of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE are Ben Sprecher, Amy Sprecher, Louise Forlenza, Bob Boyett, Jay Harris, William Franzblau, Tony Fusco, Larry Feinman, and Nelle Nugent, in association with Wendy Federman and Bob Reich. The design team includes sets by Adrianne Lobel, lighting by Mark McCullough, and costumes by Tony winner Jess Goldstein.
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE is the uplifting story of an American family forging a new life amidst the mighty challenges, heartbreaks, joys and triumphs that face them in the newly-settled heartland. It is also the story of young Laura Ingalls, as she begins her life as a young woman, finding purpose, and finding love. Above all, it is the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded - a spirit that still resonates today.
Following its Paper Mill Playhouse engagement, LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE will begin an extensive national tour at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul. After a two-week engagement there, the show will continue on to more than 30 additional cities throughout the U.S. and Canada in 2009 and 2010, including Denver, Toronto, Houston, Tempe and Sacramento. A complete tour schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
Melissa Gilbert (Caroline "Ma" Ingalls). Theatre: Off-Broadway: A Shayna Maidel; Los Angeles' Canon Theater: Love Letters; Chautauqua Theater Company: The Glass Menagerie; Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Palm Beach: The Miracle Worker; University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Bus Stop, Love Letters; Guthrie Theater: Little House on the Prairie. Television: Series lead in "Little House on the Prairie," more than 40 movies for television including Emmy Award-winning The Miracle Worker, and more than a dozen television series, including "Nip/Tuck," and "Sweet Justice." Awards: Outer Critics Circle Award and Theatre World Award for A Shayna Maidal. Professional Affiliations: President, Screen Actors Guild, 2001-05. Currently Sustaining Board Chair and Spokesperson Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition.
Photos by Adam Nemser PHOTOlink
Melissa Gilbert's book signing at Borders
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