"Little House on the Prairie" reviewed by TheatreDiva

The following review has been posted to kcstage.com.

Little House on the Prairie
The Coterie Theatre
Rating: 4 of 5

Little House on the Okay

Let me preface this review with the fact that I have read - and re-read - the Little House books a lot in my life. While I try hard to not do a direct comparison, knowing there is no way a book can be exactly like a play (or a movie, for that matter), that love did directly influence my reaction to the Coterie's production of "Little House on the Prairie". I also have a severe dislike for directors of shows who are also the star: how can a director be completely aware of the full production if they themselves are in it, without videotaping every rehearsal?

So, going to "Little House", and finding out that director Ric Averill was also playing "Pa" immediately put up my shields. I wasn't sure what to think.

Overall, the production was ... okay. It wasn't excellent - the plot was way too rushed and the characters were way too undeveloped for that. But I was happily surprised that there was as much music in it that there was: while Pa's fiddle is an important part of the character, it didn't dawn on me that that would be a part of it.

But the production wasn't as bad as I was afraid of either. They managed to put in Ma's dislike of Indians - something that is a bit of a sticking point for the books and the reason why many schools have disapproved of it as reading material. And despite being the director and the character of "Pa", Averill did a fine job of both directing and acting.

It's a pleasant outing for the family, but if you're a fan of the books, go in with the knowledge that there's just no way the playwright would've been able to put in the plot and characters that you know and still keep the production at Coterie's lengths.

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