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.
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THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS TICKETS
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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
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;Act II
- The Sidestep
- No Lies
- Good Old Girl
- Hard Candy Christmas
- The Bus From Amarillo
- Finale
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Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical (Henderson Forsythe, winner
)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical (Carlin Glynn, winner
; Joan Ellis, nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Choreography (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Theatre World Award (Carlin Glynn, winner
)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Henderson Forsythe, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Carlin Glynn, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical (Pamela Blair, nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical (winner
)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics (winner
)
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music (winner
)
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.