LITTLE HOUSE at the Papermill Playhouse

[musicow]

Posted: 9/13/09 at 1:58pm

I attended the preview matinee of LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, the musical, at Jersey's Papermill Playhouse yesterday. The capacity crowd was nearly 50% children, all anxious to see Melissa Gilbert "on stage and in person!" The book by Rachel Sheinkin is short on laughs and is apparently more faithful to the source material (LITTLE HOUSE books by Laura Ingalls Wilder)
than the popular TV series. However, it is overlong with a first act running a full 90 minutes. The rambling nature of the narrative and continual passage of time is confusing and uninteresting. The music is by oscar winner Rachel Portman. While there are many beautiful melodies (endlessly reprised in ACT 2) there is a lack of a genuine show stopping song. There is a moving anthem for Mary and Laura but it is unfortunately titled: I'LL BE YOUR EYES. The cinematic orchestrations are by Larry Hochman (10 players in the pit).
The audience responded favorably to a big First Act chorale for the entire company titled UP AHEAD. Big response to I CAN ROCK (Laura and the school children), FOURTH OF JULY (a dance number), and FIRE IN THE KITCHEN (a dance number led by Melissa Gilbert). Funny enough, the show stopping moment in the show is the full out danced curtain call. The crowd stomped and clapped along to the bouncy music. (Dance/incidental music by Michael E. Dansicker). The energetic choreography is by Michele Lynch, and the production is directed seamlessly (without blackouts or mechanized scenery) by Francesca Zambello. Sets, lights, and costumes are all first rate, and the show is many notches above the standard Papermill physical production.
The cast (especially Kara Lindsay as Laura, Alessa Neeck as Mary, and Carly Rose Sonenclar as Carrie) all sing very well. The kids in the audience loved Kate Loprest's "over the top" performance as Nellie and Kevin Massey's Almanzo. However, the audience was there to see Melissa Gilbert, and she could do no wrong. Even her Act 2 musical number WILD CHILD ( a very dull ballad) was greeted warmly by the house. And while Steve Blanchard (PA) has none of the warmth of Michael Landon's landmark characterization, his solid performance and singing voice help tremendously. Obviously, LITTLE HOUSE is a beloved property and has a built-in following. The children in the audience were attentive and well behaved and with some careful editing and sharpening; the show could have a NY life after its' National Tour. The crowd at the Stage Door was enormous.

[PlayhouseBeauty]

Posted: 9/13/09 at 2:29pm

Was the stage door calm atleast? Do they have a doormen outside? I remember going to the stage door after High School Musical with my little cousin and it was just madness and not from the kids the adults that were pushing there children forward and not caring who was in front as long as their child was front and center to meet the cast.

[p.s.]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 4:17pm

I was at the Sunday afternoon performance. I agree with much of your review, but have the following comments:

The capacity crowd was nearly 50% children, all anxious to see Melissa Gilbert "on stage and in person!"

Our capacity crowd couldn't have been more than 20% children.
And I don't think most of them know who Melissa Gilbert is.

The book by Rachel Sheinkin is short on laughs

Strongly agree.

The cinematic orchestrations are by Larry Hochman (10 players in the pit).

I'm not familiar with the term Cinematic Orchestrations. Wouldn't that apply to movie scoring?
The orchestra was conducted by Kevin Stites, who is listed as Music Supervisor ...

The audience responded favorably to a big First Act chorale for the entire company titled UP AHEAD.

I thought that for all of the Full Company numbers (3 in Act One; 1 in Act Two, excepting the Finale), it was hard to hear or understand the words (lyrics) over the cacophany of music and stomping.

The rambling nature of the narrative and continual passage of time is confusing and uninteresting.

They could have used signs saying something like "1815, Digne."

The cast (especially Kara Lindsay as Laura, Alessa Neeck as Mary, and Carly Rose Sonenclar as Carrie) all sing very well.

I agree. But Kevin Massey (Almanzo) was one of the two best singers in the cast.


p.s. And Carly, the future star who is the other of the two best singers, should have more to sing.

[BroadwayLuv]

Posted: 9/14/09 at 5:21pm

I saw it over the weekend and here are my thoughts:

Melissa Gilbert oddly enough does not seem entirely comfortable in the role. She seemed much more at ease doing the quick-footed dancing (curtain call) than singing "Wild Child" -- in which she seemed to be concentrating on staying in tune more than emoting/delivering the song & its message.
Unfortunately, I'd say a major fault is blah-ness of Ma and Pa. Problems with Melissa G. described above. As for Steve Blanchard, I think he's totally cute and sings nicely but he is sooooooo bland. This is how I've reacted to all shows he's been in.
The other big problem is the unmemorable score. Another reason the show never fully comes alive.
I liked Almanzo, Nellie and Mary. I thought they were well-cast and did everything they needed to to bring their character to life.
I REALLY disliked Kara Lindsay. Sorry. She does not remotely look like a child, so the scenes where she's called "Half Pint" and is doing the whole petulant tomboy thing look ridiculous. (Why is he calling a 25-yr-old woman Half Pint?) I was practically cringeing at some of these scenes...they're like a notch above Fanny Brice's Baby Snooks in convincing portrayal of child by an adult. In Act 2, because Laura has matured, it wasn't as bad. Although Laura is supposed to be only 15 or 16 then and she does not seem like a teenager either. Perhaps the other actors playing "children" like Nellie, etc. don't look like kids either, but they're not portraying a truly childish, rambunctious kid so it doesn't matter.
I actually liked the storytelling. I feel they crammed in a lot of episodes and conveyed the difficulty of this life (unimaginable to people, esp. kids!!!, today) but it wasn't clunky storytelling or zipping by too fast. I would agree the length of the show may be a bit much for a family-oriented show. I found Mary going blind genuinely moving, and thought the resultant change in her & Laura's relationship, and Laura's maturity, was conveyed nicely.
I think the confusion people may feel about passage of time is that it seems more years are passing than actually do. The show takes place over about 4 years -- Laura from about 10/11 to 15. But she seems to age to about 20/22, because once Lindsay drops the impudent-child bit she is acting her (the actor's) age, which is not 15 but at least 22.
Costumes also very good.


Updated On: 9/14/09 at 05:21 PM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/15/09 at 12:11am

Rachel Portman - like the orchestrator for the Grey Gardens movie? I LOVE her score for that, so I can't imagine the score for this is so bad. Does it sound similar at all to that? Also, who is Melissa Gilbert? You act as though she's a huge celeb, but I have no clue who that is.

[beagle]

Posted: 9/15/09 at 1:25am

RentBoy--Melissa Gilbert played Laura in the "Little House On the Prairie" TV show in the 70s and early 80s. That she is now playing Ma in the musical version has been a big point of interest for people who remember the TV show.
Updated On: 9/15/09 at 01:25 AM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/15/09 at 8:14pm

Gotcha. Makes sense.

[snowskittle]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 9:51am

Anyone know if this is Equity or not?

[madbrian]

Posted: 9/17/09 at 10:00am

"Sets, lights, and costumes are all first rate, and the show is many notches above the standard Papermill physical production."

I don't understand that statement. I've been to dozens of shows at the Papermill, and their productions almost always meet or exceed Broadway standards.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 4:20pm

I get to see the show this coming Tuesday. I am really looking forward to it!

[kooky]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:26pm

You should enjoy it uncaged, it is a real crowd pleaser and very family friendly .... with all the values of yesteryear ...... I am happy to say. Let us know... enjoy !

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:38pm

"Anyone know if this is Equity or not?"

Yes, this is. It's actually on a new contract that Equity is developing to try to gain back some of the split-week/one nighter tours. If I remember what one of the business reps said at the last meeting I was at right now only this show and the current tour of Chicago are under this new contract.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:45pm

kooky, I am really looking forward to it. It is actually the one show I have been really looking forward to this season. It is one of 2 original shows this season that we are getting. Little House is our Holiday show.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:48pm

Some friends of mine saw it when it was St Louis and said it was dreadful.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 5:55pm

Well I will find out on Tuesday. If I remember correctly, I read something about the show and an interview that said they are tweaking it as they go from city to city.

[kooky]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 6:30pm

ENJOY sweetie, be your own judge ..... have a good time at the show & Happy Holidays to you.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 6:36pm

Thanks kooky! I will post my thoughts. I may review it for the BWW Denver page.

[kooky]

Posted: 12/11/09 at 7:28pm

looking forward to it uncaged..... ENJOY yourself !

[jonmbway4652]

Posted: 12/12/09 at 1:30pm

i have season tickets for the broadway series in my city and little house is here this week. I gave my tickets away because I have absolutely no desire to go. It got pretty dreadful reviews too.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 10:55am

Here is my review. Apologies for the typos (Especially the second line with the word "change" twice!). I tried to edit them out but the system would not take the changes. Am going to try to get them to do it from the office.

https://denver.broadwayworld.com/article/REVIEW_Little_House_on_the_Prairie_settles_into_Denver_20091217

[NotYourMemories]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 11:39am

Nice review uncageg, that sounds exactly like the show I saw at Papermill a few months ago. My sense is that this show desperately needs one or two hit songs. It's got everything else going for it as a family musical, but there just isn't any great song that you want to go home and listen to again. It sort of reminds me of what Les Mis would be like if "I Dreamed a Dream", "On My Own" and all the others were cut.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 11:45am

Thank you NYM. I think the show will do well here. It will do well in the cities it is planning to play in. I noticed that it is not scheduled to play cities like LA, San Fran or Chicago. The Chenoweth reference was meant for the second act. Mostly for that scene at the fence where I felt like I was watching the opening to Act 2 of Wicked and the bed scene with Nellie. My friend and I both looked at each other and whispered the word Popular!

[kooky]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 6:10pm

very nice review uncaged ...... I enjoyed your writing, and as I mentioned this show really is a family style show and crowd pleaser ..... I for one enjoyed the pure simplicity of it .... and all the children that were there the night I saw it really seemed to enjoy it.
Updated On: 12/17/09 at 06:10 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/17/09 at 6:29pm

Thank you kooky! I tend to stress a bit before I post anything!!

We had kids (little girls) at opening nigh with bonnets on!

Also, they have a lot of things at their concession stand. $30.00 "stretch) t-shirts, books, bonnets, magnets, programs and a CD by Blanchard (I think). I asked the woman at the stand about the cast recording and she said that they have been told that will not happen now.