Party on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie: The Musical is FINALLY here in Kansas City! We've been anticipating the show for MONTHS and my girls and I were thrilled to see Laura, Mary, Carrie, Ma, Pa, and of course, Nellie, on stage!

   The entire evening is filled with family fun and pioneer spirit. Starlight Theatre was inspired by our Little House Project, adding pre-show entertainment with a Party on the Prairie!

    Before the show, you can enjoy activities sponsored by local historic sites, musicians, and groups. We began at the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop table. Mahaffie provided 19th century toys for the children to enjoy. They learned how to use a cup and ball game, and Jacob's ladder. But, it's not all fun and games, so some hard work was introduced all with the girls' favorite activity... washing laundry with a real washboard!

We then visited the Wornall House table where the girls made their own cornhusk dolls to keep. The National Frontier Trails Museum displayed furs for the children to touch and guess, as well as more pioneer toys. Both museums offered coupons for future visits. For $3, visitors could ride a covered wagon with Pioneer Trails Adventures.

    Live entertainment included hammer dulcimer and guitar performances and square dancing. Children also enjoyed having their hair braided like Laura, wearing temporary farm animal tattoos, and coloring Little House pictures.

    We enjoyed the party leading up to the show, but of course, the performance was the highlight of the evening. Melissa Gilbert, who we all knew and loved as Laura in the television series, performed as "Ma," teaching and encouraging her girls, forming their character, and teaching her "Wild Child" Laura, what it really means to be good without surrendering your personality and gifts. The story is inspired by the books, not the television series (though you'll see similarities to both) and the stage uses simple backdrops to portray the vast prairie and simple life of the pioneer family. We watched Laura grow up from school girl to wife, and watched the Ingalls as they became homesteaders, endured hardships and trials including prairie fires and blindness for their eldest daughter, yet through it all they remained a happy, and loving family. The stories themes of family, love, respect, generosity, consideration for others, hard work, perseverance, and optimism abound. The music is fantastic, capturing the beloved stories of the Ingalls family, with an American folk style that is enjoyable. My favorite song was Melissa Gilbert's story-song to Laura, "Wild Child." The music for the piece was fine, but the lyrics were such a turning point in revealing the characters of Ma and Laura and the relationship they shared. It was a fitting tribute to the grown-up Laura we all knew and loved, now playing Ma, singing and advising her daughter Laura, that good isn't always the sweet cherub we know and love in Mary, but can be brave and valiant too.

   We loved Little House: The Musical at Starlight and we strongly recommend taking your family to enjoy this bit of history with a night of singing and dancing under the Stars!