'Little House on the Prairie' Casting Announced

The Paper Mill Playhouse will open its 71st season on Sept. 10 with Little House on the Prairie—The Musical, starring Melissa Gilbert as Ma.

Paper Mill officials announced the full cast for the production, which runs through Oct. 10. It is the East Coast premiere of the show, and playhouse officials are planning a Harvest Festival for Sept. 12.

Performances will be held on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
 
For this show only, the playhouse is offering a discount for the first five premiere performances, including shows on September 10, 11, and 12. Single tickets will go on sale August 3 and range in price from $25-$92. Student rush tickets are $20 and are available the day of performance in person with current student ID.

Tickets may be purchased by calling 973-376-4343, at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org.

Gilbert, who played Laura for 10 years in the television series, continues her legacy by playing Ma. She played the role of Caroline "Ma" Ingalls" in the first performances of the musical at the Guthrie.

Steve Blanchard returns to the Paper Mill Playhouse to play Charles "Pa" Ingalls. He last performed in Chess at the Paper Mill in 1992. His Broadway credits include Beauty and the Beast, Camelot, A Christmas Carol and The Three Musketeers. He also played in Little House on the Prairie—The Musical at the Guthrie. His television credits include Third Watch, Law & Order, Ed, Police Story, Sunset Beat, One Life to Live, Guiding Light and Another World.

Kara Lindsay will play Laura Ingalls, and starred as Laura in the Guthrie world premiere of the musical.

Kevin Massey will play Almanzo Wilder and performed on Broadway in Tarzan and Big River, which won the 2004 Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre Award. At the New York City Opera/Carnegie Hall, he performed in Antony & Cleopatra.

Kate Loprest will play Nellie Oleson and returns to Paper Mill Playhouse where she last performed as Joanie in Happy Days: A New Musical in 2007.  She has appeared on Broadway in Hairspray, Xanadu and The Drowsy Chaperone. She portrayed Scarlet on ABC's All My Children.

Alessa Neeck will play Mary and performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Carly Rose Sonenclar will play Carrie Ingalls and made her Broadway debut as Young Cosette in Les Miserables. Sonenclar performed for President Barack Obama at the KIDS/Fashion Delivers benefit.

Rounding out the cast are Taylor Bera, Michael Boxleitner, Megan Campanile, Kurt Engh, Shawn Hamilton, Jessica Hershberg, Meredith Inglesby, Caroline Innerbichler, Lizzie Klemper, Garen McRoberts, Brian Muller, Will Ray, Gayle Samuels, Dustin Sullivan, Todd Thurston, Tony Vierling and Christian Whelan.

Little House on the Prairie—The Musical will be directed by Francesca Zambello, who recently directed the Broadway production of Disney's The Little Mermaid.

Following the Paper Mill Playhouse production, the show will embark on a multi-year national tour.