As a lifelong watcher of the show, I have to say there is something so wrong, yet so right, about this news.

Coming to Minneapolis later this summer is a stage version of Little House and the Prairie. In addition the Ingalls family, the musical, based off the the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, will feature Almanzo Wilder and love-to-hate her Nellie Olesen. The production will also include an exciting casting choice: Melissa Gilbert.

Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls during the television series’ nine years, will challenge the audience by taking on an entirely different role. The 44-year-old actress will tightening up her bun to the play the family’s matriarch.

While some might scoff at the idea of a Little House stage adaptation, Melissa says she would not have participated if she didn’t think it was up to snuff. “I’m very careful about the way the legacy is handled. My primary concern was that the material was done the right way.”

Previews at the Guthrie Theater begin on July 26 with the opening scheduled for August 15.