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HEADLINES!
Melissa Gilbert back on 'Prairie' !!
SIMON SPOTLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SIGNS BOOK DEAL WITH MELISSA GILBERT! June 2008
The Musical
June 30, 2008
PRAIRIE SETS GUTHRIE BOX OFFICE ON FIRE!
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
BREAKS BOX OFFICE RECORDS!
(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The world premiere production of Little House on the Prairie broke box office records at the Guthrie Theater this past Friday by selling more tickets on a single day than any other show in the venue's history. Day-of-sale box office receipts reported that 5,461 tickets for the world premiere musical were sold on Friday. The previous one day box office record for a Guthrie production was set in 2006 when 1,363 tickets were sold for the annual holiday show, A Christmas Carol. The box office record for a presentation at the Guthrie was set in 2007, when 3,639 tickets were sold in one day for the Guthrie WorldStage presentation of the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear, starring Ian McKellen.
The Prairie fire in the box office remained strong over the weekend, resulting in a three day total of 8,408 tickets sold. Friday's ticket sales were conducted by phone and in person only, and reports indicate that tickets were sold to residents of more than 25 American states and several Canadian provinces. Of the more than 5,000 people who purchased tickets on Friday, a stunning 58% have never before attended a show at the Guthrie.
"The numbers from Friday's sales clearly indicate the wide appeal of this material," Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling said, "We knew that the Little House stories resonate in this region in a profound way, and now we know that Little House on the Prairie as a musical – a truly American art form –speaks to people across the nation in a powerful way."
The new musical based on the classic tales penned by Laura Ingalls Wilder will be directed by Francesca Zambello, and feature a book by Tony Award-winning writer Rachel Portman, lyrics by Donna di Novelli and music by Academy Award-winning film composer Rachel Sheinkin.
Broadway veteran Steve Blanchard (eight years as the "Beast" in Disney's Beauty and the Beast) leads the Ingalls family through the joys and hardship of pioneer life as Charles "Pa" Ingalls. Melissa Gilbert, best known for her work in the 1970s television series, returns to her Little House roots to play Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, with her signature character Laura coming to life on the musical stage through the talents of Kara Lindsay, a 2007 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University. Jenn Gambatese (Broadway's All Shook Up and Disney's Tarzan) plays the role of eldest daughter Mary, a character who struggles with scarlet fever and its resulting blindness. Rounding out the Ingalls family as Carrie, 14-year-old Twin Cities native Maeve Moynihan (A Christmas Carol, 2003-2005) returns to the Guthrie stage following numerous roles at the Tony Award-winning Children's Theatre Company. The cast also features Sara Jean Ford (Christine in the Broadway National Tour of Phantom of the Opera) as the prissy, spoiled and manipulative Nellie Oleson, and Kevin Massey (Broadway's Tarzan and Big River), who brings romance to the prairie as Almanzo Wilder.
Previews begin July 26, with opening night set for August 15 and performances continuing through October 5. Season ticket packages, which include Little House on the Prairie, are still available. Single tickets are priced from $29 to $65, with opening night prices ranging from $54 to $75. Little House on the Prairie is being produced at the Guthrie by special arrangement with Global Prairie Productions, Inc.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Finally!!!!
I've been waiting to confirm this!!
It's real.
It's actually happening!!
MGB
Melissa Gilbert back on 'Prairie'
Actress set for musical version of 'Little House'
By GORDON COX
Melissa Gilbert is heading back to the prairie. Thesp has signed on for the world preem of the tuner version of "Little House on the Prairie," bowing at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis this summer.
Gilbert, who grew up starring as protag Laura Ingalls Wilder on NBC's 1974-83 series rendition of "Prairie," will play Laura's mother, Ma, in the musical. Steve Blanchard ("Beauty and the Beast") will play Pa, and recent Carnegie Mellon grad Kara Lindsay will portray Laura.
Jenn Gambatese ("Tarzan") will play older sis Mary, with Sara Jean Ford as neighborhood brat Nellie and Kevin Massey as Laura's eventual hubby, Almanzo Wilder.
Gilbert appeared in a developmental workshop presentation of the musical last year, with Patrick Swayze co-starring as Pa.
Ben Sprecher, who heads a team of commercial producers attached to the project, approached Gilbert about returning to "Prairie," a property that remains much loved today.
"I'm very careful about the way the legacy is handled," she said. "My primary concern was that the material was done the right way."
Plot, based on the autobiographical series of books by the real-life Laura Ingalls Wilder, centers on the pioneer lives of the Ingalls clan in late 19th-century South Dakota.
Francesca Zambello ("The Little Mermaid") will helm the show, with music by film composer Rachel Portman ("Emma") and lyrics by Donna DiNovelli. Rachel Sheinkin ("The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee") provides the book, replacing the previously attached Beth Henley.
"Prairie" looks primed for future life if its proves successful, although no concrete plans for Broadway or a national tour have yet been made.
Tuner begins previews at the Guthrie on July 26 ahead of an Aug. 15 opening. |
May 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Robinson
V.P., Director of Publicity
212.698.2719
SIMON SPOTLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT SIGNS BOOK DEAL WITH MELISSA GILBERT
NEW YORK, May 21, 2008 – Simon Spotlight Entertainment (SSE), an imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced today that it will publish a book by Melissa Gilbert. Best-known as Laura "half-pint" Ingalls on the series Little House on the Prairie, Melissa Gilbert has a permanent place in the hearts of women of all ages.
The currently-untitled book will feature behind-the-scene stories from her years on the Little House set as well as her time spent in Brat-Pack Hollywood, including her relationship with Rob Lowe (to whom she was engaged). Gilbert will discuss being an adopted child, the loss of her father at age 11, and her battle with both alcohol and failed relationships. But thanks to a great sense of humor, her resilience, and a fantastic support system, Gilbert has found happiness and stability in her life. Gilbert served as president of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of the Children's Hospice and and Palliative Care Coalition, where she works directly with chronically and terminally ill children to provide them with care and comfort. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce Boxleitner.
Melissa Gilbert said "I am writing this book to share the story of my life. Simply put, I have been very blessed but I have also been through difficult struggles and painful tragedies. My hope is that people with similar life experiences will find comfort in my story by realizing they are not alone."
Jennifer Bergstrom, Vice President and Publisher of SSE, said "Melissa Gilbert is funny, down-to-earth, and has an entertaining and inspiring tale to tell. Most importantly, it will be told with Melissa's great humor and warmth. I adore her and think readers will too."
Jennifer Bergstrom at SSE negotiated the deal with Dan Strone, CEO of Trident Media Group, which includes world rights. The book is scheduled for publication in Spring 2009.
National Hospice Foundation Gala and Awards - "A Red Carpet Affair," Award Recipients: Melissa Gilbert, Mary Fisher, and the inaugural Art Buchwald Spirit Award Friday, April 11, 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm Omni-Shoreham Hotel, Regency Ballroom, Washington, DC. Additional conference info available at http://www.nhpco.org/MLC2008 .
Plus... Today we have for you some new signature bars that you can use on your websites, blogs, forums, messageboards! I created these myself. If you have any requests for a specific sig bar (Melissa and Bruce related) let us know and I will see what I can do. Send your Sig Requests enjoy! Jaynex
Right click and save as, then upload to your own webspace or use an image provider like photobucket
MARCH 2008
Bruce will be attending the Festivel of The West in March! For more details please visit their website
http://www.festivalofthewest.com/
Bruce
is shooting a new project - See news for more Click
here
My
friends,
The Harden Family Foundation has agreed to match any monies raised by
the Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition up to $40,000.00!
That
means, if we raise $40,000.00 it'll become $80,000.00!!!!
Please
consider making a donation. The web address is www.childrenshospice.org.
You
can also learn more about the Coalition and our programs.
My
sons have each donated $10.00. They challenge you all to match that
or do even better.
Imagine
what all of you can do to help these terminally ill children and their
families!!
Please
help!?
Thank
you and bless you,
MGB
APRIL / MAY 2007 Message from Melissa and Bruce.
May 28, 2007
Memorial Day
Hello Friends!
Sorry it
has been so long since we last posted a message. It seems that we set
out to do something and then, the next thing we know, six months have
gone by and we still haven't done it.
We lead
very busy lives here, especially with the end of the school year just
around the corner. It seems to us that the work gets piled on our poor
kids!
On the
work front we have both been busy, Bruce's mini-series "Pandemic"
premiered on the Hallmark Channel this weekend. He also just finished
a movie for Spike TV called "Sharp Shooter" co-starring Mario
Van Peebles and James Remar. He is also doing press and gearing up for
the release of the new Babylon 5 movies.
Melissa
finished "Daniel Steel's Safe Harbor" for New Line Home Cinema.
Don't know the exact release date of that yet but will send out a heads-up.
We have seen a rough cut and it's quite a lovely...well...love story.
Definitely a chick flick and Brad Johnson is a total hunk! (This is
Melissa talking, not Bruce). He also happens to be a wonderful actor
and his performance is really, really, solid (this IS Bruce talking).
After finishing
the film MGB went off to NYC to workshop a new, musical version of "Little
House on the Prairie". It is called "Prairie: The Musical"...and
now Melissa will take over from here;
Well, my
friends I must tell you that when I was first approached about this
project I thought "No Way! If it is silly I will be mocking what
maybe the most important legacy of my career". Then I found out
just who is involved;
My favorite playwright in the world; Beth Henley
Oscar winning composer Rachel Portman
Lyricist Donna DiNoveli
And our extraordinary director; Francesca Zambello.
(All of who have web sites that you can check out)
All I can
tell you is that the workshop and performances we did for investors
worked and "Prairie:The Musical" will be opening next summer.
Not sure just where yet but after we open we will tour a bit and then,
fingers crossed, go to Broadway.
It's all
so exciting and new. I've never done a musical before. What a challenge!!..also...
I am sure you can guess, I am not playing Laura...I am playing Ma. Full
circle indeed!! The musical stays very true to the books and begins
with the family settling in DeSmet..the rest you will have to see for
your own eyes!!!
So, as
you can see our lives are very full right now.
Melissa
has an official myspace page. The link is on our home page. She is a
brand new baby blogger (doing a terrific job according to Bruce) and
does answer questions she gets there when ever possible. Though, you
must be patient if a response does not come immediately. Word has spread
and the messages are a bit overwhelming. Please be patient.
Finally,
one of Melissa's MySpace friends requested her White Chocolate Coconut
Cake recipe. We put it at the bottom of this message. Melissa’s
best friend Sandy Peckinpah created it and it is truly spectacular.
Be careful though, it is highly addictive!
We hope
that you all have a wonderful summer and we will send updates as soon
as we have them.
Be well,
be happy and be safe!
MGB
and BB
Ms.
P's White Chocolate Coconut cake
1 box white
cake mix
1 cup water
3 whole eggs
1 stick of butter softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup FLAKED coconut
3 ounces white chocolate baking squares
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flaked coconut
extra coconut for decorating
Preheat
oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flower two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
Mix first six ingredients at medium speed for two minutes. Fold in 1
cup od flaked coconut. Pour evenly into pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes
until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely
before frosting.
For frosting;
melt the white chocolate squares with the whipping cream. Do not allow
it to get too hot, just melted and combined. Let cool to room temperature.
Beat two cups whipping cream in a chilled mixing bowl until soft peaks
begin to form. Then drizzle in cooled white chocolate mixture. Add powdered
sugar and beat until incorporated. Do not over beat!!! Gently fold in
1 cup of coconut.
To assemble;
Put one layer on cake plate. Frost top, sprinkle lightly with coconut.
Place second layer on top. Frost top and sides. Sprinkle all over with
coconut.
You can
refrigerate it but it is best served at room temperature.
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!
Melissa
Gilbert
Board President
Children's Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition
www.childrenshospice.org
LISTEN TO THE MELISSA PROMO FOR GETTING TO KNOW YOU - MP3
Melissa will be a guest on the next "Getting To Know You" with Susan McCray on KSAV.org internet radio Tuesday, May 1st 6:30 p.m. pacific time.
Susan McCray - casting director - and cast of Little House on the Prairie. READ HER BIO
www.susanmccray.com - for more information.
MARCH 2007
A starry cast has been assembled for the upcoming workshop presentations of Prairie , a new musical based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular "Little House on the Prairie" book series.
SEE NEWS FOR MORE INFO!!
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January
2007.
Update on the Auction results for The Childrens Hospice.
See news for more details.
WHAT
DO JOHNNY DEPP AND MELISSA
GILBERT HAVE IN COMMON? - CLICK
HERE TO FIND OUT!
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SUPPORTING
THE
CHILDRENS HOSPICE |
SITE NEWS:
The site is being
worked on daily and we intend to continue to work hard to get it back
where it should be for you - Fully updated and with all the news and
articles we can find.
We now also have more server space, so we can increase the number of
pictures we can host. Please though DO NOT LINK DIRECTLY from any pictures
on this site. It costs us bandwidth - too much bandwidth being used
in any one month causes the site to be suspended for the remainder of
that month by the hosts.
If anyone has an
information or pictures they would like to share with us - please contact
us at:
webmistress@gilbertboxleitner.com
Many thanks for the continued support through what was a very difficult
personal time for us and please, enjoy the site.
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Welcome
to the Bruce and Melissa Official Website.
Please
check back often for updates to the site. And if you have anything for
us please email us! (we always welcome pictures from fans and stories
of meet ups at conventions etc - and if you have any news that passes
us by, please get in touch.)
Jayne
CONTACT
US: team@gilbertboxleitner.com
Click to join gilbertboxleitner - Our
very own mailing list / newsletter.
Join
the Melissa and Bruce Message Board that
we have.
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My Guestbook
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My Guestbook
Good
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A couple of great FREE ones are:
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