Laura Ingalls Wilder
Little House on the Prairie, The Musical has had a two week run at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, in Houston. Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura in the original television series, played the role of Caroline Ingalls, Laura's mother in this production. It is the sort of show we don't get to see very often anymore. The sets, the costumes are for the most part plain and unadorned, just like the story of the extraordinary family depicted in the story. Those of you who are familiar with television of the 1960's know the Laura Ingalls Wilder's unforgettable saga of the settlers who traveled west to make a new life for themselves.
"As the Ingall's family settles in DeSmet, South Dakota, the independent teenager Laura and her sisters learn the joys and hardships of growing up under the big blue sky. When Laura leaves home to make the ultimate sacrifice for her family, she learns an invaluable life lesson: Giving is always more rewarding than receiving when it comes to love."This production is the very sort of show we need for our city and our nation at this very moment in time. I found this show to be very pleasant, pleasing and especially compelling. As the familiar story unfolded, the story and the characters took me back to a simpler time in our country and a very different mindset. I was forced to remember the sturdy and obstinate folks who built our country. The settlers faced bad weather and brush fires that destroyed their crops. They endured brutal winters and somehow managed to survive until Spring. They overcame seemingly overwhelming obstacles. They built homes and lives in places where no town or farm or road existed until they arrived and built them. They were survivors and nation-builders and their story that this show told was nothing short of heroic. Even today, we can identify completely "... with these life affirming stories about the Ingalls' struggles and triumphs through the celebration of the pioneering spirit and the core values on which this country was founded --- a spirit that still resonates within each of us today."
I would not call this production extraordinary musical theater, but I believe this was a very compelling show that held my attention until the curtain fell. I could talk about the production pluses and minuses of the show... the lighting, the sets, wonderfully talented cast and the musicality of the show. But that would beg the real reason that I found the show compelling. I found real hope in this retelling of the inspiring story of the Ingalls family. Like the rest of you, I have had to struggle to keep an optimistic outlook after the events in the economy over the last 18 months. Even the most optimistic person knows that our lives will be challenging for some time to come. And yet, seeing this show only reinforced my belief that we can survive even this. For Laura Ingalls as for us, when we are confronted with seeming catastrophes, somehow life goes on in spite of everything.
When a show like Little House on the Prairie tells it's story, it casts a spell over us. For a moment, the Ingalls' story becomes our story. They experienced the worst and the best that life could throw at them. That happens to us too. They somehow struggled through and survived the worst. Maybe we can too.
For those of us who are small businessmen, the message of hope that this show delivers is what we need to be hearing here and now. It is a message of keeping the faith and holding onto our dreams and our aspirations. It is the message that no matter how bad things may get, giving up is not an option. It is the message that no matter what life throws at us, we each possess the focus, the creativity and the grit to succeed in our lives. We just have to dig deep enough into ourselves to find it and then to continue to believe in ourselves, no matter what happens to us.
Howard Fireman
Productivity Consultant/Accounting
howard.fireman46@gmail.com
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