The Guthrie Theater Little House on the Prairie

Kara Lindsay and Kevin Massey

As it tells the entire sweep of Laura's tale in a single evening, it becomes more a series of episodes than a coherent story. This lack of focus makes it hard to get under the skin of most of the characters. Toss in a score that rarely moves beyond functional, and you have an evening that is—while not a disaster—is certainly less than it could be.

The musical sweeps across many of the books, starting with the Ingalls family in Kansas and ending with Laura taking steps into adulthood. Along the way, there is a kind of CliffsNotes version of events from a number of books—the long, blizzard-laden winter; tussling with Nellie Oleson; going away from home to teach so her sister, Mary, can go to a school for the blind in Iowa—tied somewhat together by a long-simmering romance with Almanzo Wilder.

With so much happening, there isn't a lot of time to develop characters, and only a few members of the large cast get a chance to add any real nuance to their performances. Thankfully, Kara Lindsay is quite good as Laura, showing all of the conflicting emotions as she grows up. As a singer she is also strong, but could dial down her performance a bit to make the biggest emotions really shine through.

Also strong are Jenn Gambatese as sister Mary and Steve Blanchard as Pa, both providing good anchors for Laura's wild moments. Kevin Massey plays Almanzo with plenty of charm, but not a lot of depth. And Melissa Gilbert—Laura from the TV show—is pretty much robotic as Ma and completely outclassed as a vocalist.

In general, there's a real flatness to the production, starting with the dull score and diffuse script and stretching out to the work done by director Francesca Zambello. Little House on the Prairie has its moments, especially during the Long Winter segment in act one, but it largely passes without eliciting much emotion. (The show also has a great ending moment, but ruins it by adding another scene that does nothing but hammer home the point of the play, and give the ensemble one last number.)

It's all really a shame, as Little House on the Prairie should provide plenty of opportunities to tell a good story on stage. Yet by making the canvas too broad, the creators miss the heart of the story and leave us with a cold recreation.

Little House on the Prairie runs through Oct. 19 at the Guthrie Theater, 818 S. 2nd St., Minneapolis. For information and tickets, call 612-377-2224 or visit www.guthrietheater.org.

Photo: Photo © Michal Daniel, 2008

Chanhassen Dinner Theatres Swing!

Timotha Lanae, Michael Fielder, Kevin Iverson, Bridget Noltimier

Director Sean Cercone guides a cast of 10 dancers and four singers through the decades of swing music, with stops for some of the key periods and places (World War II, New York City) of the style. It's a mix that has worked well since the show debuted on Broadway in 1999 (as crafted by Paul Kelly and Lynne Taylor-Corbett) and on tour in years since.

It falls to the quartet of singers to do much of the heavy storytelling lifting, as many of the individual songs have their own tales to tell. Each singer—Sean Nugent, Fred Steele, Erin Marie Capello and Kate Margaret—brings considerable chops to the table, which they showcase both in solo and group pieces. As a quartet, their voices blend beautifully, creating a Manhattan Transfer-like effect.

Vocal highlights include "Bli-Blip," in which Steele and Margaret play out a nervous date via a jazzy song made up mostly of nonsense syllables, and "Cry Me a River," with Capello and trombonist John England sharing the song's heartbroken passion.

While the music (backed by an ace band) is important, most of the action is focused on the five pairs of dancers who command the stage over the show's breezy two-hour run. Part of the charm is that Cercone and the creative team (which also includes music director George Maurer and choreographer Alison Solomon) don't stick to the tried and true when interpreting the pieces. "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," for example, transforms from a traditional 1940s-style piece to something a bit funkier: the band provides a slower, funky beat, while the dancers are decked out in business suits and briefcases, though they still march in military precision.

The show takes time for some of the other swing styles along the way, such as a quick look into line-dancing Western swing with "Boogie Woogie Country." Through it all, the dancers showcase both their athletic skills and their pure grace as performers—often within the same song.

And it's not all twirling and jumping here. One of the best moments comes on "Harlem Nocturne," as dancer Alison Solomon shares the stage with bassist Cory Carter in an intense late-night duet that manages to make a double bass sexy.

Then again, it will probably be the big production numbers that stay in the mind, such as the act closers "In the Mood" and "Sing, Sing, Sing," which give all of the performers a chance to strut their impressive dancing stuff, including some amazing "don't try this at home" flips and tosses.

Despite its lack of a plot, Swing! does have a story to tell, about a music and dance style that has endured the test of time. In the hands of the performers and creators at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres, it becomes a story well told—one certainly worth a late-summer trip to the theater.

Swing! runs through Oct. 4 at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres. For more information and tickets, call 952-934-1525 or visit www.chanhassentheatres.com.

Photo: Act One, Too LTD © 2007, All Rights Reserved - Ed Huyck

- Ed Huyck