The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

This was the best venue (Guildhall of St George) to play this production being more intimate than the large Corn Exchange as we felt swept up by the action around us and a part of the town debate on the rights and wrongs of the Chicken Ranch in their midst. We knew that it would have pace and style and fun with the team running the show: Steve’s sense of timing and humour and drawing out of character, Sam’s excellence in the pit, and Lauren’s crisp and fast choreography.

 This show has to find the right person to play the Dolly Parton role, Miss Mona, and they did with Amanda Arterton.   What a joy to watch and listen, style and elegance, personality plus, acting and movement and superb singing skills swept us along as she supervised the girls at the Chicken Ranch and mixed and controlled personalities in the town, a professional performance to relish.

 The girls gave their all in the numbers with strong vocals and huge energy and slickness in all those dance routines.   They looked good and without inhibitions in the costumes. Some thoughtful moments throughout as we learnt more about the private lives, the sadness of Angel (Hayley Dennis) as she telephones her child, the naivety and shyness of Shy (Evangeline Page) and the emergence of the chrysalis, the personality of Ginger (Jaime Tooley), and above all the amazing numbers and voice from Sara-Jane Brennock as Jewel, and her relationship with Miss Mona, and the Doatsy Mae of Jo Sherry; but it was a huge team effort that made the whorehouse numbers so great and vibrant and filled with such a good feel of life.

 On the male side, Ian Ding as Watchdog Melvin P.Thorpe had a plum role with his campaign and personality plus, and the great barber’s shop harmonies from the four Dogettes.   How he relished the part in trying to inflame the town to close the ranch.  The key people of the town: newspaper editor Edsel Mackey (Ross Woodhouse), insurance salesman C.J.Scruggs (Kevin Bush), and mayor Rufus Pointdexter (Jon Large) all contributed in large part to the story and the struggles within the town and the success of the show. Sheriff Dodd (Andy Masterson) had the unenviable role of keeping the peace and supporting both sides plus the long-term friendship with Miss Mona, a sympathetic approach and good number. Loved the appearance and energy of the football team, the Aggies, such fun.

The staging and technical side all worked well and kept up the pace throughout, good costumes and lighting and swift changes, and of course the filming/TV just added the cream on top.

 So pleased that the audiences supported KLP in this different and lesser known show.

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