“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

The story is fairly simple as it deals with the worlds “oldest profession” and how a small town in Texas and the politics of the government due to TV and newspapers covering the scene. They look at how society can force a witch hunt even when no-one is complaining. The book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music & lyrics by Carol Hall, this musical is based on a book that King write about an actual  house of ill repute in LaGrange Texas, called The Chicken Ranch.

The story  celebrates life itself. The women employed by Miss Mona (  stunningly played by Anne Sheridan Smith) , the Madam of the house. Her performance is brilliant in every way. Her right hand person is Miss Jewel ( the incredible Cynthia F. Carter, spreading her wings from her normal home at Black Ensemble Theatre). By the way, her rendition of “Twenty Four Hours of Lovin'” is superb!. Many people have not heard any of the music in many years. Songs like “Texas Has A Whorehouse In It”, “Good Old Girl” and “The Sidestep” ( this one is done to perfection by The Governor (Teddy Gales, who also does a few other characters).

The cast is well rounded and a little different than you might expect. Our world has changed when it come sot gender, so we need to think of this as today instead of 1980 ( when it really was.) There are several non-binary performers who play characters of multiple genders over the course of the play.

The ensemble is strong and are asked to take on many roles, both male and female. They do so with great ability and energy. I have always said that the strength of a production is based on the strength and power of the ensemble. Without them, there can be no production, so let’s give them credit where due>David Blakeman as Melvin P. Thorpe, Halle Bins, Kaitlin Feely ( who was also our server and made sure we were taken care of from start to finish), Chamaya Moody, Laura Quinones, Michaela Shapiro, Quin Simmons, Brandon Acosta, Michael Penick and Mark Prince as Sherriff Dodd. The energy level and talent of this group was terrific. They never missed a beat!

On the tech side, this is the first actual set ((Manuel Ortiz) and it was perfect. The sound (Stefanie M. Senior) and lighting (Josiah Croegaert) were right on allowing us to never miss a sound or vision. Lonnae Hickman’s props were perfect and the musicians under the lead of Isabella Isherwood were wonderful. The violinist, Raquel Navarro’s solo was a highlight, but the entire group made the sound seem like an orchestra- Sam Schacker (guitar), Jeff Harris (bass) and Ben Heppner (drums). The costumes (Gregory Graham) were as sexy as one can expect in a storefront theater in Evanston. One must remember that at Theo Ubique, you are up front and personal with the cast.

By the way, the dinner option from Cross-Rhodes in Evanston was dynamite. There are two options  (find them at www.theo-u.com)