Melissa Gilbert News.
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MARCH 2009
A complete new look to the web site which was in need of some attention and we hope you like the new look. In Melissa's section we've completely redone all pages, and ensured that we have no pages under construction this time around. We've also added a number of new features, including an article section, Melissa's out and about gallery has new images and an area dedicated to the Little House on the Prairie Musical.
New articles online...
'Little (Musical) House on the Prairie': Melissa Gilbert as Ma Ingalls
CLICK HERE
Little House... and More Hit Ordway in 2009-10
CLICK HERE
Melissa did her photo shoot for the autobiography recently, which means not long now to wait for the book! Watch this space!
FEBRUARY 2009
Little House' to launch national tour in St. Paul
The Associated Press - Tuesday, February 24, 2009
ST. PAUL, Minn.
The musical version of "Little House on the Prairie" launches a national tour in St. Paul this fall.
"Little House" had a sold-out run when it premiered at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis last summer.
The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts announced Monday that "Little House" will kick off its 2009-10 theater season.
Actress Melissa Gilbert will again play Ma Ingalls as she did at the Guthrie. Gilbert played Laura, the daughter of her stage character, in the television series based on the "Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
"Little House" will run on the Ordway's Main Hall stage from Oct. 13-25.
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On the Net:
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts: http://www.ordway.org
Mirvish Theatre combats recession with upbeat musicals for 2009-2010 season
18 hours ago (VIA GOOGLE THANKS TO CAROLA)
TORONTO — Musicals dominate the Mirvish Theatre's 2009-2010 season as the company tries to provide upbeat escapism and variety for audiences during the economic slump.
The majority of the shows announced for the subscription season Tuesday are song-and-dance productions, including "The Harder They Come," "Little House on the Prairie," "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
"Because these are difficult economic times, we've gone to musicals," producer David Mirvish said Tuesday after a splashy season unveiling at the Princess of Wales Theatre.
"So six of the seven shows are high-entertainment level - extraordinary costumes, sets, cheeriness, brightness - in the sense that they are all musical-based ... and that's the most we've ever done in one season."
Mirvish said he's also "been concentrating very carefully to broaden the audience as much as we possibly can and be as inclusive as possible."
The first show to hit the city as part of the upcoming season is "The Harder They Come," a musical based on a 1972 film starring reggae star Jimmy Cliff as a Jamaican singer who turns to crime. It will make its North American debut in Toronto this July.
"It's quite gratifying to know that these songs still have a lot of relevance," Cliff, whose music is featured in the show, said after performing several of his hits, including "Wonderful World, Beautiful People."
November will see the arrival of renowned British playwright David Hare's political play "Stuff Happens," about the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Victoria, B.C. native Barry Flatman will star as former U.S. president George W. Bush in the production that had its Canadian premiere last year at Toronto's Berkeley Street Theatre Downstairs.
"What I think will be fascinating is to see how audiences listen and react to people who only a few years beforehand were able to make decisions that affected the whole world," said director Joel Greenberg.
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" returns to Toronto in the fall with an all-Canadian cast in the Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber classic.
Also returning is the Tony Award-winning musical "Fiddler on the Roof" starring Chaim Topol - star of the Oscar-winning 1971 film - in his farewell tour.
Actress Melissa Gilbert, who played pigtailed Laura Ingalls in the beloved TV series "Little House on the Prairie," will star as "Ma" in the musical of the same name. It will have its Canadian premiere in Toronto next January.
In March 2010, the new Mel Brooks musical "Young Frankenstein" will unveil its Canadian premiere, and "Priscilla Queen of the Desert - the Musical," about a trio of drag queens in Australia, will make its North American premiere next spring. The show is based on the Oscar-winning film, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert."
"We want to be entertained. In difficult times, you want to come out of the theatre feeling good," said Mirvish, noting this season was "extraordinarily successful," with 41,000 subscribers. Last year had 33,000 subscribers.
The lineup also includes two shows that are not part of the Mirvish subscription series: "August: Osage County" will have its Canadian premiere in November, while "Cloud 9," from British playwright Caryl Churchill, is set for a January 2010 launch.