Blanchard, Lindsay, Massey Join Gilbert In Paper Mill Playhouse's LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE-THE MUSICAL

Paper Mill Playhouse (Mark S. Hoebee-Artistic Director, Mark W. Jones-Executive Director) is proud to announce the opening of the theater's 71st season with Little House on the Prairie - The Musical. The East Coast Premiere will run at the Millburn theater from September 10 through October 10, 2009. Little House on the Prairie - The Musical is proudly sponsored by RBC Wealth Management. Little House on the Prairie - The Musical is generously supported by a grant from The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, and by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Little House on the Prairie - The Musical will play the following performance schedule: Wednesdays at 7:00PM, Thursdays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM, Fridays at 7:00PM, Saturdays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM and Sundays at 1:30PM & 7:00PM. For this show only, Paper Mill Playhouse is offering a discount for the first five Premiere Performances including shows on September 10th, 11th, and 12th. Single tickets will go on sale August 3rd and range in price from $25 to $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, or at the Paper Mill Box Office on Brookside Drive in Millburn, or online at www.papermill.org. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express accepted. Groups of ten or more can receive up to a 25% discount on tickets and should call 973-379-3636 ext. 2438.

Little House on the Prairie has remained one of the most beloved celebrations of early Americana since the appearance of Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular classic book series 70 years ago. Now the inspirational stories take on a brand new frontier in an uplifting new musical. Melissa Gilbert, who played 'Laura' for ten years in the much-loved television series, continues her legacy by playing 'Ma'. Families will continue to fall in love 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 resonates within each of us today. Little House on the Prairie - The Musical has a "dream team" of creative artists taking this classic from page to stage. An award winning team has collaborated to make one of the best new musicals in decades with a book written by Rachel Sheinkin (Tony Award winner for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), music by Rachel Portman (Oscar winning composer for Emma), lyrics by Donna di Novelli and directed by Francesca Zambello (director of Disney's The Little Mermaid on Broadway), initiated for the stage by Adrianne Lobel and Francesca Zambello.

Little House on the Prairie - The Musical brings an all-star cast to the Paper Mill stage including: Melissa Gilbert (Caroline "Ma" Ingalls) starred as 'Laura' in the beloved television series, Little House on the Prairie, and originated the role of 'Ma' in the Guthrie world premiere of Little House on the Prairie - The Musical. Gilbert performed in the Off-Broadway production of A Shayna Maidel, for which she won the Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World Awards. Her additional theater credits include: Love Letters (Los Angeles' Canon Theater); The Glass Menagerie (Chautauqua Theater Company); The Miracle Worker (Royal Poinciana Playhouse, Palm Beach); Bus Stop, and Love Letters (University of Tennessee, Knoxville). Among her many television credits, Gilbert starred in the 1979 Emmy Award-winning television movie The Miracle Worker, and the television series Nip/Tuck and Sweet Justice. Also an author, Gilbert's memoir Prairie Tale debuted on The New York Times best seller list. Steve Blanchard (Charles "Pa" Ingalls) returns to Paper Mill Playhouse where he last performed in Chess (1992). His Broadway credits include: Beauty and the Beast; Camelot; A Christmas Carol; and The Three Musketeers. Mr. Blanchard performed in the Off-Broadway productions of Frankenstein; Johnny Guitar; and An Oak Tree. He performed in the national tours of Camelot; Phantom of the Opera; and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His other credits include: Little House on the Prairie - The Musical at the Guthrie; Esmeralda; Sleep of Reason; The Threepenny Opera; Hot Mikado; and Godspell. Mr. Blanchard's television credits include: Third Watch; Law & Order; Ed; Police Story; Sunset Beat; One Life to Live; Guiding Light; and Another World. Kara Lindsay (Laura Ingalls) starred as 'Laura' in the Guthrie world premiere of Little House on the Prairie - The Musical. Her theater credits include: Quilters; Lone Star Love; Thoroughly Modern Millie; Beauty and the Beast; Cats; Hello, Dolly!; Side Show; After Miss Julie; Hello Again; and Oresteia. Kevin Massey (Almanzo Wilder) 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. Mr. Massey toured the United States in Big River and toured Europe in Grease and Tarzan. His regional theater credits include: The Three Musketeers; A Christmas Carol; Pippin; All's Well That Ends Well; Brigadoon; The Secret Garden; Macbeth; The Mikado; Carme; The Merry Widow; The Magic Flute; La Traviata; Kiss Me, Kate; and Down at the Inferno, A Rock Musical. Kate Loprest (Nellie Oleson): returns to Paper Mill Playhouse where she last performed as 'Joanie' in Happy Days: A New Musical (2007). She has appeared on Broadway in Hairspray; Xanadu; and The Drowsy Chaperone. At the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera she performed in Swing! and Les Miserables. Her regional theater credits include: Wicked and Sarah Plain & Tall. She portrayed 'Scarlet' on ABC's All My Children. Alessa Neeck (Mary) performed on Broadway in Irving Berlin's White Christmas. Ms. Neeck appeared in the Lincoln Center Theater production of Happiness and Encores! production of No, No Nanette. Her regional credits include: Bye, Bye Birdie and 42nd Street. Carly Rose Sonenclar (Carrie Ingalls) made her Broadway debut as 'Young Cosette' in Les Miserables. At Carnegie Hall she performed the role of 'Kim' in Show Boat. She appeared as 'Pearl' in the New York Musical Theater Festival production of The Night of the Hunter. Ms. Sonenclar performed for President Barack Obama at the KIDS/Fashion Delivers benefit and she sang the National Anthem at the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden.

Rounding out the Little House on the Prairie - The Musical 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. Ms. Zambello has won multiple Olivier Awards, Evening Standard Awards for Best Musical and Best Opera, and French Grand Prix des Critiques. Her additional awards include: Japanese Golden Prize, Helpmann Award, Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Russian Federation's Medal for Service to Culture, the Palme d'Or in Germany, and the Golden Mask in Russia. In London she has directed at the Royal Albert Hall: Show Boat and West End: Napoleon. Additional credits include: Raimund Theater, Vienna: a new musical based on Rebecca; Seattle Children's Theatre: Tibet Through the Red Box; Bregenz's floating stage: West Side Story; Old Globe: First Wives Club; and Skylight Music Theater: Artistic Director, 1984-91. Her Opera credits include: Metropolitan Opera: An American Tragedy (world premiere), Cyrano de Bergerac (with Placido Domingo), Les Troyens; Teatro alla Scala: Cyrano; Washington National and San Francisco Operas: The Ring, San Francisco Opera: Artistic Advisor; Royal Albert Hall: La Bohème; The Bolshoi: Fiery Angel; Chicago Lyric Opera: Salome; Royal Opera House: Carmen, Don Giovanni; Paris Opera: Boris Godunov, War and Peace, Billy Budd, William Tell. Ms. Zambello's Film credits include: War and Peace (ORF), Amahl and the Night Visitors (BBC), and The Little Prince (BBC/PBS). Choreographer Michele Lynch's Broadway credits include: The Coast of Utopia (Choreographer), Hairspray (Associate Choreographer), The Full Monty (Associate Choreographer), Urinetown the Musical (Assistant Choreographer), Victor/Victoria (Performer). Ms. Lynch choreographed Paper Mill Playhouse and Goodspeed Opera House productions of Happy Days, A New Musical. She won the Connecticut Critics Circle Award for Happy Days, A New Musical and the Garland Award for 13. Her additional theater credits include: Asolo Theatre: Pride and Prejudice; Mark Taper Forum: 13; New York Musical Theatre Festival: GoGo Beach; St. Louis Muny: Breakfast at Tiffany's; and Ford Center: Leading Ladies. Ms. Lynch's film and television credits include: Camp and Comedy Central Presents: The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase.

Adrianne Lobel will serve as the Scenic Designer. Costume design is by Jess Goldstein. Lighting design is by Mark McCullough. Sound design is by Carl Casella and Dominic Sack. Charles LaPointe is the Hair and Wig designer. The Production Stage Manager is Michael Danek.

Following the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Little House on the Prairie- The Musical, the show will embark on a multi-year national tour.

Celebrate the opening of the 2009-2010 season at The Little House on the Prairie Harvest Festival held in Taylor Park and Main Street in Downtown Millburn on Saturday, September 12th from 1:00pm until 5:00pm. This is a free, fun-filled event for the entire family featuring a live blue-grass band, a live country-rock band, professional and amateur square-dancing, free pony rides, free petting zoo, free hayrides, free face painting, a pie baking contest, a Prairie themed costume contest, specialty food, and much more.

Paper Mill Playhouse, a not-for-profit arts organization, is one of the country's leading regional theatres. Paper Mill Playhouse programs are made possible, in part, by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, A Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and by funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional major support is provided by generous contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Paper Mill Playhouse is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the Council of Stock Theatres, and the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.