The Wilder Side

When I reread the whole Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder with my daughter a few years back, I became immediately hooked on its compelling stories, and, even more so, on the backstory of Wilder’s own life, which sometimes parallels and sometimes diverges from the saga...

By Susan Froyd

December 10, 2009

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When I reread the whole Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder with my daughter a few years back, I became immediately hooked on its compelling stories, and, even more so, on the backstory of Wilder’s own life, which sometimes parallels and sometimes diverges from the saga of Little House. And though I’ve read hundreds of books with my daughter before and since then, it was probably one of our more satisfying literary benders, simply because the books carry with them the breath of history and the American dream. Plus, I’ve always been bewitched by the image of Pa playing his fiddle in the middle of nowhere, under a full moon.

I’m not certain how those aspects would play out in a stage musical, but I’d still like to see Little House on the Prairie: the Musical, which comes to the Buell Theatre tonight for a two-week run. Starring Melissa Gilbert — who played the role of Laura opposite Michael Landon in the Little House TV series — as Ma, the stage version kicked off to boffo crowds in the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota last year and holds the promise of offering quality entertainment for families. I’m game to try it; are you? See Little House at the Buell daily except Mondays, through December 27 (the theater will be dark on Christmas Eve); for tickets, which range from $15 to $100, go to www.denvercenter.org or call 303-893-4100.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, 2 & 7:30 p.m.; Wed., Dec. 23, 2 p.m. Starts: Dec. 15. Continues through Dec. 27, 2009

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Susan Froyd started writing for Westword as the "Thrills" editor in 1992 and never quite left the fold. These days she still freelances for the paper in addition to walking her dogs, enjoying cheap ethnic food and reading voraciously. Sometimes she writes poetry.

Contact: Susan Froyd

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