Swayze & Gilbert to Head Cast of PRAIRIE Musical Workshop

Actors Patrick Swayze and Melissa Gilbert will join the cast as 'Pa' and 'Ma' in the workshop presentation this April of PRAIRIE, a new twenty character musical based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's enduringly popular Little House on the Prairie book series.

Swayze, who recently starred in the new London production of Guys and Dolls, has starred in such blockbuster films as Ghost and Dirty Dancing. 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, has made numerous acclaimed television films including her Emmy nominated performance as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker". She made her New York theatrical debut with her award winning performance in "A Shanya Maidel" and she served as the President of SAG for four years. 

Joining Swayze and Gilbert in the cast are Sara Chase as 'Laura", Michael Arden (The Times They Are A-Changin) as 'Almanzo', Sara Ford (The Fantasticks) as 'Nellie' and Olivier Award winner Jenny Galloway (currently Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables) as 'Mrs. Brewster'. The book for PRAIRIE is by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley (Crimes of the Heart) with lyrics by Donna DiNovelli and music by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman (the Oscar for Emma, also composed Chocolat, The Cider House Rules, among many others). The workshop will be directed by internationally acclaimed theatre and opera director Francesca Zambello, who has just directed the smash hit musical REBECCA, (based on the Daphne du Maurier novel) in Vienna, and is also directing the forthcoming Broadway production of The Little Mermaid for Disney.

After searching for many years for the right family musical, PRAIRIE will mark the first-time producing collaboration between prolific Broadway producer Ben Sprecher (the current Moon for the Misbegotten, last season's The Odd Couple, Fortune's Fool, among many others) and his wife Amy Sprecher, a multi-award winning and six time Emmy-nominated executive producer of childrens' programming (currently the "Ready Set Learn!" block of programming The Discovery Kids Channel and TLC). The Sprechers are joined by co-producers Louise Forlenza (Moon for the Misbegotten, Lennon) Bob Boyett (Spamalot, The History Boys, Journey's End), and Wendy Federman (Moon for the Misbegotten). The producers are targeting a spring '08 national tour of PRAIRIE, prior to its Gotham debut. They have assembled an acclaimed design team that includes sets by Adrianne Lobel, lighting by Tony winner Natasha Katz, and costumes by Tony winner Martin Pakledinaz.

The workshop presentations are closed to the public, will be by invitation only, and held April 16 and April 17 in Manhattan.