A PUZZLEMENT

One would think that for me, the idea of two of my favorite things combined on-stage would make me extremely happy. Considering what those two things are though, I'm not so sure. A few weeks ago, it was announced that the Guthrie Theater in Minnesota (naturally) would be world premiering a musicalized version of Little House on the Prairie. Yes, Laura Ingalls Wilder's popular series about life on the mid-west frontier. Despite that though, I'm a little scared. I have to say, the thought of Pa Ingalls singing his heart out about the heartbreak of living with his family on the desolate Minnesota plains with Indians abound...sounds kind of horrifying. As much as I love music and the Ingalls family, the two together sounds the opposite of appealing. It can be a catastrophic mistake or it can be surprisingly lovely if staged correctly. IF. Is it just me, or does the idea of musical theatre combined with Little House seem excessively schmaltzy?

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE

After reading Mitch's Spotlight on Simi Valley, I began thinking about my favorite television series, Little House on the Prairie (it was filmed somewhere in Simi Valley). Being the huge "Little House" fan that I am, one would think that I would know where in Simi Valley the set once stood (sadly, the little house was destroyed by fires in 2003). It wasn't until I did some quick sleuthing online did I find out that Big Sky Ranch was where almost all of the exteriors for the show were filmed. While looking up this info, I was reminded of/came across some interesting tidbits (all of which are pretty damn interesting, particularly the few that put me within a direct 1-2 degrees of separation of those directly involved with the show):

• One of my newer co-workers made her way into my office a few weeks ago and commented on my two "Little House" photos hanging on the wall. She had no idea I was such a fan then told me, "My neighbor is Mrs. Oleson." "WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" was my response in a very shrill and excited voice. She told me she'd introduce me to the fabulous Katherine MacGregor -- I am so freaking excited!
  
  
• The opening and closing credits of "Little House" were filmed at the ranch by Michael Landon with cinematographer Ted Voightlander and production manager Kent McCray. Voightlander is related to another co-worker of mine through marriage (I can't remember if he's the father or uncle of her late husband).
  
  
• Melissa Francis (Cassandra Cooper Ingalls) is now a general assignment reporter for CNBC.
  
  
• Kyle Richards (who played Alicia Sanderson Edwards) and her sister Kim Richards (who played Olga Nordstrom in the episode, Town Party/Country Party as Laura's friend with the "lame" leg) are the sisters of Kathy (Richards) Hilton and aunts of Paris & Nicky Hilton.
  

I would go far as to say that both the "Little House" series and particularly the books made the biggest impression on my life (almost as much...if not more than musical theatre has) in terms of my interests growing up. These were the first books that I read over and over again. I begged my parents when I was 8-9 to buy me the box set and found myself unable to get enough of the adventures of Laura and the Ingalls family. I would list all of the Ingalls places I've been to in the mid-west (don't worry, I was 9 when this all happened, though I would gladly go back again) but I'll save that "great" tale for another day. Thanks to Alison Arngrim's Official Site (Nellie Oleson) for aiding in my research.

WHO ARE YOU NOW?

I guess one could say I'm "lucky" since I still have a job. But I feel like I'm the only survivor in a plane crash. Survivor of what? I probably shouldn't say too much...but I will say to be left behind is a lonely existence. Just a few weeks ago, I was telling someone that as awful as my job can be, my one saving grace is that I work with an incredibly tight knit group of people...now those people are gone and what am I left with? I wish I knew.

So it's easy to say that I'm depressed these days. I think I'm taking this whole situation worse than the people who were laid off! I know that lay offs happen, that people have to deal with it and move on...this whole process was very Office Space. **sigh** At least Office Space. was funny - nothing about this situation is funny. So if you know of anyone hiring in marketing/promotions/new media for the entertainment industry...you know where to find me.

* * * *

On another note, I watched the newly released DVD of Barbra Streisand's Funny Girl this weekend. It's been years since I'd seen it, and it was as wonderful as I remembered. I think I was 9 when I saw a dinner theater production of Funny Girl for my mother's birthday. I remember sitting there, amidst the food I didn't really care for enchanted by the music and the story...it was the greatest thing I had ever seen since Annie. At that age, nothing pleased me more than Annie and Little House on the Prairie. And I was adding Funny Girl to the list. I remember renting Funny Girl and watching it intently and comparing it to the staged version I had seen. I begged my parents to buy the video for me to watch all the time (you know, to add to my already obsessive behavior...see below) but for some reason, they never did...imagine that.

As long as I can remember, I always put my heart and soul into learning everything I could about everything I loved. For example, I had seen Annie at least a half a dozen times and had gone through 4 copies of the OCR, purchased an "Annie" dress, wig, dolls (2 sizes - the pocket size and large size) as well as a stuffed animal of "Sandy" the dog. I thought I was the next Annie, that I was on the verge any day of being "discovered."

On my "off-days" from being Annie, I thought I was Laura Ingalls Wilder. My grandmother had made me a prairie dress and bonnet for Halloween (which I put on everyday after school) my best friend and I played "Little House" by riding our bicycles pretending they were horses through the "woods." I had my parents tape the show everyday so I could watch it whenever I wanted (and I watched it whenever I wasn't belting out Annie). I've even been to the actual town of Walnut Grove, MN and visited all of the locations Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about in her "Little House" series of books.

So anyways, watching Funny Girl this weekend brought me back to that age of my youth...and cheered me up for a few hours.