"Little House on the Prairie" at Lakeshore Players Theatre

As a fan of all things Little House on the Prairie and Laura Ingalls Wilder, I was excited to see the musical Little House on the Prairie on Lakeshore Players Theatre's ambitious 2023-2024 season. I grew up watching the TV show and reading the books, and as an adult I've read every book I could find about Laura Ingalls Wilder, and visited most of the historic sights. As a descendent of 19th Century immigrants who came to Minnesota to make a better life for their family (i.e., me), Laura's story feels like my story. But as an adult, I recognize that it's only one side of the story, and that the story of the indigenous people of this land, who were displaced by the US government so that my ancestors could make a new life here, is also an important one to tell. Laura's story and legacy are complicated,* but I still love Little House for the nostalgia, and the comforting message of family, home, togetherness, and respect for nature. I hadn't seen the musical in almost 15 years, and it turns out it's not as strong of a piece of musical theater as I remembered or hoped it was. But it's still lots of fun for Little House fans, and Lakeshore Players has put together a charming production, with a large and talented cast and beautiful design. You can see it at Hanifl Performing Arts Center in White Bear Lake through February 10 (and for something different, check out an encore performance of Lakeshore's fantastic regional premiere of the smart, funny, inspiring play What the Constitution Means to Me on January 29 and 30).

"A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas" at Lyric Arts

I'm a little bit obsessed with all things Little House on the Prairie, and I'm not ashamed to admit it! The TV show started the year after I was born, and I don't remember a time when I didn't watch it and love it. When I was old enough to read, the Little House books were a favorite, although I soon discovered just how different the TV and book worlds are. I've re-read them as an adult, along with several other books about Laura Ingalls Wilder, most recently the excellent Prairie Girl: An Annotated Autobiography. And when I took a road trip across South Dakota a few years ago, I made sure to stop in De Smet, and Walnut Grove on the way back into Minnesota. On the live performance front, I loved the Guthrie's 2008 musical adaptation of Little House on the Prairie (starring Melissa Gilbert!), and I even saw Alison Arngrim's comedy performance of her funny and touching memoir Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. So it's obvious I will consume Laura Ingalls Wilders' writings in any form I can, and I couldn't resist Lyric Arts' "Mainly for Kids" production of A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas. Playwright Laurie Brooks has turned a few pages in Laura's original memoir that never made it into her children's series, about their time spent in Burr Oak, Iowa, into a sweet little 65-minute play in keeping with the Little House theme of family and frontier life.

"Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" by Alison Arngrim (aka Nellie Oleson) at Camp Bar

As a little girl growing up in Minnesota, I wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved the Little House on the Prairie books and especially the TV show; it was my favorite show as a kid and I've seen every episode multiple times. Laura was my hero - I wanted her life, I wished my parents were more like Ma and Pa, and I thought Almanzo was dreamy. And of course, I hated Laura's nemesis, that mean old Nellie Oleson. But it was very much a "love to hate" feeling. What would Little House be without Nellie? Boring. Alison Arngrim, Nellie's portrayer, has made a career out of being the mean girl (aka "prairie bitch"), and what choice did she have? She will forever be known as Nellie, so why not embrace it and have fun with it? It's quite obvious from her show at the Camp Bar in St. Paul this week that she does, and so does the audience.

Alison has long been a stand-up comedian, and decided a few years ago to include her Little House experiences in her act, to much success. She published the book version of Confessions of a Prairie Bitch in 2010 (which I haven't read yet but will soon), and has been touring with her stand-up act for a few years. She told many great stories about her years working on the show and dealing with the fame that came with it, as well as her crazy life growing up in Hollywood. As the daughter of Liberace's manager and the voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost, she grew up among lots of famous and interesting people. Alison also answered questions from the audience, and did a hilarious bit listing the 10 most commonly asked questions (Was the hair real? Are you and Melissa Gilbert friends? What was Michael Landon really like? Is Albert gay?) and later answered them in rapid-fire succession (It was a wig, Yes, Awesome, How should I know what Albert's into?). Along with the stories were video clips, including a hilarious montage of baby Carrie's incoherent rambling, and Alison's favorite scene - rolling down the hill in the wheelchair.

A few interesting tidbits:

• Michael Landon was always in control of the Little House set (he was a producer, director, and star of the show).  He worked everybody hard and demanded professionalism from everyone, even the child actors, and they all loved him for it. Alison noted that anytime Charles was injured, it was always his ribs that were broken so he would have to take his shirt off. Michael knew who was watching the show and what they wanted to see. It sounds like he was an interesting mix between a man who liked fast cars and drinking and was married three times, and a talented and driven man who created one of the best loved family shows in the history of TV. Alison said he was always very good to the fans, and often reminded her that she was working for them. Not him, not the network, the fans. I think that's a key to his success and I wish more TV executives today had that attitude! It was obvious that Alison has a great deal of admiration for him. As do I. I had the opportunity to meet his youngest daughter, three-time Emmy-winner Jen Landon, a few years ago, and I'm afraid I gushed a bit about how much I love her father. I felt like I was in the presence of TV royalty. (You can currently see Jen on the best soap on TV - The Young and the Restless.)
• Someone asked Alison about Little House the Musical (which premiered at the Guthrie in 2008 before embarking on a nationwide tour, and which I loved so much I saw it three times), and she said she would have loved to have played Mrs. Oleson opposite Melissa Gilbert's Mrs. Ingalls, except that there was no Mrs. Oleson in the play. She also noted that the Laura/Nellie song was just like Elphaba/Glinda in Wicked, which I also observed at the time. It's the one that that bugged me about the musical, that Nellie was a copy of Glinda. But come to think of it, maybe Glinda was a copy of Nellie. Isn't Nellie Oleson the prototype for every "bitch" role in TV/movies/theater?
• Alison and Melissa Gilbert (Laura) are good friends to this day, and didn't get along with Melissa Sue Anderson (Mary) at the time. She complained about her character going blind, and Alison thought - have you read the books? Alison visited Melissa at Dancing with the Stars to support her, and when asked if she'd consider doing the show, responded that at the age of 50, she wasn't so sure she wanted to stand on her head and let everyone see her panties. Alison said most of the cast is still in contact and supports one another in their various endeavors.
• Alison recently appeared at "Laurapalooza" in Mankato, which was fun and a little scary. Some people she met romanticize the time period depicted in the show and books, and asked her "wouldn't you love to live in the 1800s?" Alison's response is a hearty NO - they didn't have antibiotics in the 1800s, or appletinis or botox! But she was very excited about the "What would Nellie do?" shirts and other memorabilia available at Laurapalooza.

I'm so glad I went to see Confessions of a Prairie Bitch. To see an actor from a show that I've loved virtually all my life is a rare treat. That she's so funny and real about it is even better. And it was even a bit inspirational. Alison shared that by being labeled a "bitch" at an early age, she was freed from the expectations of being "likable," and she could just be herself. It's not always a bad thing to be a bitch, it's often a label that society gives to strong and independent women. As they say in the movie Doloris Claibourne, sometimes being a bitch is the only thing a woman has to hold on to. Alison Arngrim is doing a great job of holding on to being a bitch, and entertaining and inspiring audiences along the way.