The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a
musical with a book by Texas author
Larry L. King and
Peter Masterson
and music and lyrics by
Carol Hall.
It is
based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life
Chicken Ranch in La Grange,
Texas
.
Production history
The
original Broadway
production
was directed by Peter Masterson and
Tommy Tune and choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh. It opened on
June 19,
1978 at the
46th Street Theatre and ran for 1,584
performances. The opening night cast included
Carlin Glynn,
Henderson Forsythe,
Joan Ellis,
Delores
Hall, and
Pamela Blair. Glynn was
replaced by
Fannie Flagg and
Anita Morris later in the run.
In 1982, Glynn and Hall were cast in what was described as "a
return engagement."
After nine previews, it opened on May 31 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
and ran for 63 performances.
A short-lived sequel entitled
The Best Little
Whorehouse Goes Public was staged on Broadway in
1994.
"The Aggie Song" was performed on the
Tony
Awards broadcast, but was heavily censored due to the lyrics
and the choreography.
Synopsis
It is the
late 1970s, a brothel that has been
operating outside of fictional Gilbert, Texas
for more
than a century. It is under the proprietorship of Miss Mona
Stangley, having been left to her by the original owner. While
taking care of her girls, she is also on good terms with the local
sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. When crusading
television reporter
Melvin P. Thorpe (based on real-life Houston news personality
Marvin Zindler) decides to make the
illegal activity an issue,
political
ramifications cause the place to be closed down.
Song list
- Act I
- Prologue
- 20 Fans
- A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place
- Girl, You're a Woman
- Watch Dog Theme
- Texas Has a Whorehouse in It
- Twenty Four Hours of Lovin'
- Watch Dog Theme (Reprise)
- Texas Has a Whorehouse in It (Reprise)
- Doatsy Mae
- Angelette March
- The Aggie Song
- Act II
Awards and nominations
Bibliography
- Hall, Carol. Vocal selections from The Best Little
Whorehouse in Texas. Melville, N.Y.: MCA Music, 1979.
- King, Larry L. and Masterson, Peter. The Best Little
Whorehouse in Texas. Music and lyrics by Carol Hall.
French's Musical Library. New York, N.Y.: S. French, 1978.
ISBN 0-573-68111-2
- King, Larry L. The Whorehouse Papers. New York: Viking
Press, 1982. ISBN 0-670-15919-0
Discography
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: original cast.
Audio CD. MCA, 1997. MCAD-11683; MCA-3049.
- Best Little Whorehouse in Texas: New cast recording.
Audio CD. Fynsworth Alley/Varèse Sarabande, 2001. 302 062 117
2.
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search
