The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

York House, Twickenham

21st-25th November 1989

Producer & Choreographer – Jessica Joyce

Musical Director – Mike Carver

Production Manager – Angela Sturgeon

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a stage and film musical, based on a story by Larry L. King.

Drawing from the true-life Chicken Ranch in La Grange, Texas, the original play addresses the issue of private behavior in conflict with public law.

The real events adapted for the musical involved a zealous reporter (Marvin Zindler), whose coverage led to the closing of the Chicken Ranch.

The stage musical, co-directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune and co-choreographed by Tune and Thommie Walsh, opened on Broadway in 1978, with songs by Carol Hall; the original cast starred Carlin Glynn and Henderson Forsythe.

Released in 1982, the movie version – which starred Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds, Jim Nabors, Charles Durning, and Dom DeLuise – retained some of Hall’s songs and also added two others by Parton herself, most notably a two-stanza version of the immensely popular number “I Will Always Love You”.

CAST

Bandleader – Mike Carver

Angel – Josephine Easton

Shy – Hayley Hinc

Jewel – Maggie Rose

Mona Stangley – Ann Lindsell

Linda Lou – Sally Pembery

Dawn – Julie Thomas

Ginger – Julie Blahuta

Beatrice – Belinda Smith

Taddy Jo – Wendy Howard

Ruby Rae – Mandy Stenhouse

Eloise – Sue Buxton

Durla – Janet Turner

The Dogettes – Nicky Blumfield, Christine Gilbert, Rachel Marks, Marion McLaren, Louise Stevenson, Lynne Tompkins, Patricia Vandepeer, Beryl Yorath

Melvyn P Thorpe – Andrew Macbean

Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd – Jeremy Newton

Scruggs – John Boult

Mayor Rufus Poindexter – Ted Cocks

Edsel Mackey – Berni Messenger

Doatsey Mae – Merian Ganjou

TV Announcer – Carl Smith

Angelette Imogene Charlene – Beryl Yorath

Senator Wingworth – Iain Calder

The Aggies – John Boult, Steve Brookhouse, Robert Brooks, Ted Cocks, Ian Davies, Berni Messenger, Peter Morris, John Powter, Carl Smith, Peter Vaughan, Martin Wilcox, Graham Wilson

Governor – Rick Ratcliffe

Chai Sue-Leung, Philip Cornfield, Mike Perry, Adrian Yorath

CREW

Producer’s assistant – Mandy Lewis

Designer – Malcolm Chilton

Stage Manager – John Mitchell

Assistant Stage Manager – Barbara Mitchell

Props – Denise Ganjou

Lighting – Ralph Bramley

Set Construction – BROS Workshop

Costume Co-ordinator – Josephine Easton

Make-up – Peter Barnett & Josephine Easton

Prompt – Trevor Marland

Publicity – Anne Campbell

Box Office – Suzanne Yeates

Costumes – American Clothing Co. Katherine Codrington at Jo Dalby

Dogettes costumes designed & made by – David Porter

Front of House Managers – Helen Jenkins & Joyce Stewart

Rehearsal Pianists – Nick Beedon, Ian Davies & Dennis Gomm

Costumes – Katherine Codrington at Jo Dalby

BAND

Keyboard – Mike Carver

Violin – Chai Sui-Leung

Bass – Philip Cornfield

Percussion – Mike Perry

Guitar – Adrian Yorath