Putting the 'House' on the road

When the musical version of "Little House on the Prairie" premiered at the Guthrie Theater in summer of 2008, it became one of the theater's hottest tickets.

The show has gotten a major makeover and is returning to the Twin Cities for the launch of a 27-city national tour at St. Paul's Ordway Center. Its director and star hope that the new "Little House" will catch fire again.

"It think that people who saw the developmental production at the Guthrie will be excited to see how much it has improved," said director Francesca Zambello. "Many of the songs are still there, but with new orchestrations. There's a big dance for [star] Melissa [Gilbert] and the family. In every way, we've shined it up. The show has grown."

Gilbert, who played Laura for 10 years on the popular "Little House" TV show and who played Ma Ingalls last year at the Guthrie, agreed. "It's a great show," she said.

She spoke from the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey, where she is rehearsing to headline the tour as the family matriarch.

Despite its success at the Guthrie, "Little House" received a top-to-bottom retooling because the creative team thought it could be improved. The story has been tightened. New songs have been added. And it has been completely redesigned and recast.

"There have been so many changes in how the story is told ... it is almost a new show," Gilbert said.

"When audiences see a new show, they are part of the developmental process," said Zambello. "They give us information, and we use that to improve the show."

Gilbert was nervous about her singing when she was performing at the Guthrie last year -- an anxiety she admits in her memoir, "Prairie Tale." But she is much more confident now.

The remade "Little House" has deepened her character, she said. "She's such a strong woman, and her connections show in her relationships with her children," she said. "I admire her a lot."

While Gilbert has never been on a tour before, she is looking forward to being on the road.

"We have a great cast, and all of us are having a great time," she said. "You will see that on the stage."

ROHAN PRESTON