"Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" Review

• Civic Theatre has fun with 'Best' Raunchy musical features lots of comedy, but it has a heart, too
  Friday, June 09, 2006
  BY JENN MCKEE
  News Arts Writer
  There are only so many shows that inspire cast members, in their bios, to thank "the whores.'' But clearly, one such show is "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,'' now being staged by Ann Arbor Civic Theatre.
  
  In this bawdy, cuss-slinging musical, a small town's worst-kept secret - a beloved old brothel known as the Chicken Ranch, run by Miss Mona (Wendy Wright) - comes under fire, thanks to an egomaniacal television journalist (Alan Burk).
  
  An ensuing media blitz divides the townspeople and forces the hand of evasive politicians and a look-the-other-way sheriff (Charles Sutherland).
  
  "Best'''s opening night got off to a slightly bumpy start. While the lights were still up, and audience members chatted and found their seats, musical director Eric Walton - who oversees the show's solid orchestra - started introducing band members that the audience couldn't see. Only when the lights went down did the band become visible through a white scrim on stage.
  
  Then, during the show's opening number, "20 Fans,'' cast members filed down the theater's two aisles while singing; but they were so far apart from each other that they struggled to sing in unison. (The opener also features a graphic sexual image, signaling that audience members should check any semblance of prudery at the door.)
  
  Yet when the production found its feet, they were planted firmly in cowboy boots. Director Ed Reynolds' large cast shines often and has a rollicking good time with Larry L. King and Peter Masterson's book, and Carol Hall's country-flavored music and lyrics.
  
  Linzi Bokor - who plays the ranch's housekeeper - stops the show cold with her sultry, soulful rendering of "24 Hours of Lovin''' (she's also fabulous sharing vocals with Wright on "No Lies'').
  
  The "whores,'' meanwhile, are strong as an ensemble, particularly during the "Hard Candy Christmas''; and the men have some boot-stomping fun as lusty football players in "The Aggies,'' guided by choreographer Tawna Dabney.
  
  Featured dancer Craig Nichols put on an impressive show opening night, despite a small stumble.
  
  Other standouts include Katherine Hoeg, who plays new Chicken Ranch resident Angel; a scene in which she calls her young son is gut-wrenching, and even when she performs with the ensemble, your eye never leaves her for long. In addition, Wright projects the outsize charisma necessary for Miss Mona while also infusing the character with a guarded idealism that makes the show's conclusion profoundly, memorably bittersweet.
  
  The hands-down toast of the show, though, is Sutherland, who seems born to play Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd. From his spot-on drawl (often employed in fits of cursing and Southern turns of phrase) to his stance and movement, Sutherland owns the part, and it's a pleasure to watch. (And I defy you to watch him sing "Good Old Girl'' without getting a lump in your throat.)
  
  At script level, the show has a few issues: Some songs feel extraneous; a young girl's sexual trauma inspires a "you'll survive'' number, but then, disturbingly, she starts work at the ranch; and the journalist and politicians are drawn in broad, cartoonish strokes.
  
  Nonetheless, Reynolds' direction - despite a few starchily staged early scenes - effectively pulls A2CT's production together for a night of raunchy fun. By the end, you may just want to thank "the whores'' yourself.
  
  "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' continues at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Lydia Mendelssohn Theater, inside the Michigan League (911 N. University Ave.).Tickets: $24 ($21 for students and seniors). Tickets will be available at the door, or you may purchase them by calling 734-971-2228 or visiting www.a2ct.org.
  
  Jenn McKee can be reached at 734-994-6841 or jmckee@annarbornews.com.