The Best little Whorehouse in Texas Review

Evening News Review - Friday 18th January 2002

"Am-dram outfit act like a bunch of pros"

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Church Hill Theatre

LOW-COST tickets and amateur production usually mean you get what you pay for. However, this production proves the opposite.

It may be am-dram and it may be in an undersized venue, but this is a big value production that benefits from impressive sets, top-grade sound and professional lighting - and that's before you even consider the three-camera video link-up and big screen.

There is no question that the company has taken a professional approach to the whole thing - paying close attention to the tiniest details.

But add to this their formidable enthusiasm and not inconsiderable acting and singing talents, and you have a hit show that scoops you up from the opening moments and leaves you elated at the end.

TABLEAU

With music and lyrics by Carol Hall, based on the book by Larry King and Peter Masterson, the plot centres on a true story that follows the rise and fall of a Texan brothel.

Tempo Musical Productions have managed to take Hall's musical and make it their own. By way of introduction, the cast outlines the house's history, acting it out in an energetic - and extremely amusing - dance and tableau form with music evoking each era.

From there on in it's non-stop fun and nonsense, with the occasional dash of pathos, delivered by a brilliant cast who make the whole thing come alive.

Of course, the girls are there, in a range of costumes that would make even Ann Summers blush. And among the host of unforgettable characters there's the brothel madam with the heart of gold, the dreamer waitress, the outrageously camp TV presenter and the entire victorious Aggies football team.

In fact, it is the aforementioned team who deliver one of the show's highlights. Set in the aftergame locker room and wearing little more - and sometimes less - than flimsy towels, they prepare to visit the Chicken Ranch.

The enthusiasm of the participants and the dazzling energy with which they deliver the song and dance routine turns the proceedings into a hoe-down of epic proportions that leaves the audience breathless. It's a feast of precision choreography and faultless delivery that in itself justifies the ticket price.

The introduction of the Governor, signalled by two security guards who act and move suspiciously like the Blues Brothers, is an absolute hoot. Just when you think you've caught the thread of what they're all up to, the cast catch you off-balance with yet another surprise. The Governor making his escape by way of several unlikely modes of transport had the audience rocking with laughter. Besides the numerous notable Texan country music numbers, along with the extraordinary sets and highly entertaining scenes, the most impressive and imaginative feature of the show is the use of TV video cameras and the large-scale TV link-up.

There are seamless cuts between the three on stage cameras, interspersed with interviews and commentary coverage as the TV camera crew follows the action.

Quite simply, this is a show that crackles and fizzes from start to finish. It has everything an audience could want: fun, energy and razzmatazz, all delivered by a spectacularly talented cast. Y'all go see it now, you hear?

Drew McAdam - Evening News, Friday, January 18th 2002