Customer Reviews

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas: Original Cast

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ran for well over three years on Broadway and this recording shows why.

Plot- First to respond to those who have said that the plot is tasteless and vulgar. I really do not adhere to that belief. To summarize, this is about a Whorehouse that have been in business since the 1800's and now some TV evangelist makes it his mission to shut it down. I think the plot is considered vulgar by some just because of the connotation, whore. Look past that and in the end we find the real charm in the show is that the girls do not pretend to be anything by call girls. Moreover nowhere in the show do we see anything that we wouldn't let are child see.

Music- Well here is the criticism, the music might be good, but the melody for many of the songs are the same. This is most evident in "Girl your a woman," and "Bus From Amarillo," and to some extent, "Good Ole Girl" and Hard Candy Christmas."

Actors: I would have to say there are two highlights to the cast. A wonderful preformance by Jay Garner as the Govenor of Texas and the song "Sidestep" is done to perfection. And then in the lead role of Miss Mona, "Carol Gylinn." Truly somebody who could sing and produce a great performance.

Overall, buy it and listen to theater from a simpler time. True it cannot compete with the flowing rhythms of Phantom or Les Misrables, but that was never a goal. it was meant to be theater that was fun to attend and one where you could learn the melodies on the first viewing.

I've always liked the musical better than the movie, so I was thrilled to find that the Cast recording has finally been released on CD.

From the fun and lively "24 Hours of Loving", "Aggie Song", and "Lil' Old Bitty Pissant Country Place", to the moving "Girl, You're a Woman" and "Doatsy Mae", to the heartwrenching (if you've seen it performed well, then you know) "Hard Candy Christmas", this is a nice score, far superior to the completely modified and edited movie soundtrack (which also has its good points; don't get me wrong, I'm not intending to completely slam the movie.) I would definitely recommend this CD to musical theatre lovers.

Those of you who have read some of my other reviews probably think I'm a prude: I've complained about shows that throw in sexual material just for effect, and I've praised shows for omitting sexual innuendo. Well, you'll be surprised to learn that I enjoy listening to THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, which I'll call `BLWT' for short.

Why the apparent change of heart? From its title, you should expect this show to have the capability to offend. When you consider the potential coarseness of the subject matter, BLWT handles it quite tastefully. (Although there are plenty of scantily clad men and women in a few scenes, don't confuse the staged version with the more vulgar movie!) As long as you can suspend your objections to prostitution, and you don't mind rooting for the girls to keep their jobs, it really isn't that difficult of a show to digest.

That said, here are some more specifics on the show.

THE STORY:
The Chicken Ranch of Gilbert is a beloved institution in Texas. With a history harking back 80 years, it has served as a homey "pleasure palace" for the men of the Lone Star State, and is currently run by the no-nonsense Miss (not `Madam') Mona Stangley. Miss Mona runs a class act: the grounds are well-tended, her `Ladies' live under strict regulations, and the `Guests' are treated with the utmost respect and are expected to reciprocate.

Everything's fine until TV moralist `Watchdog' Melvin P. Thorpe declares a personal crusade against the Chicken Ranch. Despite the fact that "one-half of the police officers and two-thirds of the lawyers in the state of Texas grew up in this house," the political pressure mounts and the Ranch is eventually shut down. While others object, Mona just takes the bitter with the sweet and moves on.

THE MUSIC:
Carol Hall (best known for her music on SESAME STREET) has written a fun-loving score reflecting her Texas roots. Her lyrics reflect the low-key lifestyle of the citizens of Gilbert, from extolling the virtues of the Chicken Ranch ("20 Fans"), to Miss Mona's assistance to a lost girl ("Girl, You're a Woman"), to a town waitress wishing she were less respectable ("Doatsy Mae"). Two great upbeat numbers are "A Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place," in which Mona explains the rules of the Ranch to her newest Ladies, and "The Sidestep," the governor's dance for the media. Perhaps best of all are three songs of the Chicken Ranch residents as they see the writing on the wall: "No Lies," "Hard Candy Christmas," and by far the best song of the show, Mona's reflection on how she ended up in her present situation, "The Bus From Amarillo."

The only song that's a real let-down is "Good Old Girl," the sheriff's paean to Miss Mona. It doesn't help that that Sheriff Ed (Henderson Forsythe) has a terrible voice.

THE RECORDING:
While none of the voices on the original cast are standouts, everyone's voice (except Forsythe's) is pleasant enough to listen to, and their acting abilities are fine. As Miss Mona, Carlin Glynn does an admirable job being a tough Texan while still showing compassion.

I recommend it for its story-telling qualities . Even if you have not seen the play, you will get the story from the songs. My daughter Erin Jones played Durla in the play at the Country Playhouse in Houston. After seeing it 10 times, I really wanted to be able to hear that toe-tapping, image-provoking music again. My husband, who hates musicals, loves the songs, and though we were able to find the record at a garage sale, we still wanted to be able to hear the soundtrack more conveniently. I had been disappointed to not be able to find the play on CD because the music in the movie is nowhere near the same. Thanks for adding it to your inventory!

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Original Cast Cd is an ETHUSIASTIC, WILD RIDE FROM START TO FINSIH! With high spirited performances by the AMAZING cast. I can't get enough of it!

Carlin Glynn plays Miss Mona (the part made famous by Dolly Parton in the film) She's got the sassy attitude and the presence to deliver the 5 songs she sings. Although she doesn't have a singing voice, in fact not too many of the actors have "singing" voices but they are ALL so in character that it never bugs me. (That's the way ALL 1970's Musical CD's are. Terrific performers with mediocre voices who can carry a tune, not vocally phenomenal, but their performance is top notch!) But I love the way she sings "Girl, You're a Woman" and "The Bus From Amarilla", two tragic, heartfelt songs. But she sure kicks up her heels in "Pissant Country Place" and "No Lies."

The one PHENOMENAL, OUTSTANDING, EXCEPTIONAL "SINGING" voice in the cast is Dolores Hall who plays the sweet maid, Jewel. She sings "24 Hours of Loving" and "No Lies" (Both Songs were cut from the film). A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE shame that "24 Hours" was cut. Next to "Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place" and "Twenty Fans" (which are in the film) this is the BEST SONG! It's simply amazing. You've GOT to hear it to believe it. (For any of you out there who know who Jennifer Holliday is, the Original Effie in "Dreamgirls", well Dolores Hall can give Miss Holliday a run for her money! If not then think Aretha Franklin or Patti Labelle! That's how amazingly BELT she is.) It's starts off slow and sexy and then sky rockets through your speakers with the high octane dance break. This song is GUARANTEED to make you get up and DANCE! (Either that or you'll start tapping your foot!)

Also you might be interested to know that one of the leading Prostitutes is played by Pamela Blair (Original Val Clark from "A Chorus Line!" This Musical came out in 1978, and "A Chorus Line was in 1975. Just an interesting tid bit!)

ALL the rest of the songs are just a lot of fun and performed superbly by such actors as Clint Allmon, Susan Mansur, Jay Garner and many more.

I definately recommend this CD to any Broadway Musical Fan! It's a must have for any collector. It's even got the famous "Hard Candy Christmas" song led by Pamela Blair. This CD is not to be missed!

Simply put, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" is one of the most underrated scores in Broadway history. True, it doesn't have traditional, grand melodies like "My Fair Lady" or "The Sound of Music," but it does have wonderful songs that help advance the story of this unique musical. Every song in the score is hummable, and some are very lovely. Just because it wasn't nominated for a Tony for Best Score in 1979 (it was nominated for Best Musical and several others) doesn't mean it didn't deserve a nod. The score should've been on the list, and, in fact, did win two Drama Desk Awards the previous year when it played Off-Broadway.
This CD should be in everybody's original broadway cast collection. It's a true gem.

The Best Little Whore Hour in Texas has to be one of my favorite plays. After signing up to perform in it I had to purchase the CD. The music is fun to listen to with great lyrics. Don't let the name scare you off. Although I wouldn't recomend the movie to the family, the soundtrack is appropriate. Overall this is in my Top 10 shows.

Great sound track, very close to the sheet music, speedy shipping from seller, over all a very good transaction.

I saw the orginal broadway play. It was a fun show. The original broadway cast should have been the cast for the movie, but I digress. Carlly Glynn has a wonderful voice that puts you in the scene and makes you want to be there. It is an enjoyable cd. A lot of fun made of our "sins of the flesh" without being tacky. Great Fun!!!

Although THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS was the biggest hit of the 1978/79 Broadway season, it has taken a long time for MCA to release the cast album on CD.

The (poorly recieved) movie version has done much damage to the shows marketability. The movioe soundtrack has been readily available on CD for years but only a few songs from the Broadway show made it to the screen.

There was a good reason for that. Most of the songs in the show are weak. This is not a stellar score filled with take home tunes and far too much time is wasted on character songs for characters who have little to do with the story.

That said, the CD transfer is a huge improvement over the poor sounding LP and tape that have been in circulation for the last 20 years. The CD booklet includes well written notes on the production and a full synopsis - something that the label felt was not needed for the original issue. Who decides these things???

The show has not been seen with much regularity since the original production closed, and an ill-conceived follow-up in 1994 called THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE GOES PUBLIC was an expenisve flop that lasted less than a month.