Will We Ever See a Best Little Whorehouse Revival?

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 6:39pm

What do you think? I'm still mad about the promised 2014 revival falling through. Good lord, what a beautiful score.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 6:44pm

Wasn't it recently being rumored that Michael Arden was on tap to direct one?

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 6:57pm

Absolutely not. It's way too problematic, the title alone turns people off, and the list goes on. 

[DAME]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 10:12pm

It’s a fun show .  I saw a production right before covid in Indianapolis that was charming.  The whole thing was staged in the back of a barn .  It had a great band and wasn’t afraid of its old fashioned tone.  All it needs is someone with a vision to give it new life without changing what it is. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/12/25 at 11:09pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Wasn't it recently being rumored that Michael Arden was on tap to direct one?"

Michael Mayer, not Michael Arden. And before that Rob Ashford was attached.

I'll believe it's happening when the cast takes their bows.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 6:46am

Sutton Ross said: "Absolutely not. It's way too problematic, the title aloneturns people off, and the list goes on."

It’s not. 

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 7:04am

I’m a huge fan of the show. I listen to the OBC frequently. There was a concert production with Emily Skinner and (among others)Andrea McCardle  as Doatsey Mae — maybe it was a fundraiser? I think the show can be done and the themes ARE timely. The title has a marketing problem and it’s hard to think of anon-profit likeRoundabout reviving it 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 7:11am

The sad part is, that America has become worse over the last 40 odd years. That the word Whorehouse is frowned upon, way more important things to be worried about 

[Eddie Hirsch]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 8:07am

It's a surprisingly conventional musical  and the satire is tame given where we are today. A revision of the book should be considered.  And I do believe there might have to be a different approach re the (arguably) enjoyable Aggie number, romping and stomping...but it's a very listenable score.

 

 

 

 

[nmartin]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 9:31am

Whorehouse was the first show I saw on Broadway.

I can still clearly see and hear Henderson Forsythe singing "Good Old Girl", and Jay Garner doing " The Sidestep".

I can also clearly remember descending the 46th Street Theatre's staircase from the mezzanine with a lit cigarette, missing the last three steps, falling, and catching a woman's dress on fire. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 9:32am

I think its original success (1500 performances) was largely a product of its time: 1978 was not a boom time for Broadway. Whorehouse was an alternative for people who had already seen A Chorus Line and didn’t want the darkness of Sweeney Todd or the glossy superficiality of 42nd Street or even the oldschool musical comedy-meets-operetta of 20th Century.

Its score was also unique to Broadway at that time.

It was also something that made the establishment giggle, and it came at a time when media was getting a little more provocative (The Ritz had closed less than 2 years before, and Deep Throat famously crossed over to the mainstream).

I know the commercial rights have been tied up by one producer for years but it really feels like something that should be done at Encores or an off-Broadway nonprofit. And if the audiences and critics hate it then that can be the end of its road.

[nealb1]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 11:05am

Would love to see a revival of BLWIT.  I've never seen it as it's so rarely done.  Timing is everything when it comes to Broadway shows.  

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 1:37pm

Dreamboy3 said: "I’m a huge fan of the show. I listen to the OBC frequently. There was a concert production with Emily Skinner and (among others)Andrea McCardle as Doatsey Mae — maybe it was a fundraiser? I think the show can be done and the themes ARE timely. The title has a marketing problem and it’s hard to think of anon-profit likeRoundabout reviving it"

It was one of the few 1-night-only Actor’s Fund Benefit Concerts that were done in the 2000s (sad they abruptly stopped doing them). This one was done in 2006 and Jennifer Hudson played Jewel (horrible acting and high school play line readings but sang the s**t out of her songs):

 

[60'splayoff]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 1:46pm

Oh, how I love Whorehouse. I'm all for a revival.

Reba as Mona.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 2:24pm

In a thread about ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,'' it's surprising that we haven't seen two central names brought up. One is Tommy Tune, who co-directed it with Peter Masterson and staged the musical numbers. But the other is Carol Hall, who wrote a terrific and tuneful score that captured its Texas twang. Among my faves: '' A Lil Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place,'' ''Bus From Amarillo'' and ''Hard Candy Christmas.'' It's shameful that Hall didn't get a Tony nomination, and historically, in 1979, she would've been one of the first female composer-lyricists to be up for Best Score.

Of course, ''Sweeney Todd'' was the big winner at the Tonys, and Sondheim was a shoo-in for his majestic score. But I thought it was odd that two of that season's big hits - ''Whorehouse'' and ''They're Playing Our Song'' - were nominated for their books, but not their scores. It's purely my speculation that the Tony nominators' tastes leaned more traditional musical-theater, so they nominated the tunes from two short-lived flops: Jerry Herman's ''The Grand Tour'' and Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Lane's ''Carmelina.'' I imagine Hall's sound for ''Whorehouse'' was too country for them, and Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager's tunes for ''They're Playing Our Song'' were too pop and contemporary. I think there are a couple of pretty tunes in ''The Grand Tour'' and ''Carmelina,'' but as complete scores, ''Whorehouse'' and ''Song'' were more successful and deserved to be nominated.

For some fun, and for those who've never seen it, here's ''The Aggie Song'' from ''Whorehouse'' on the 1979 Tony Awards. Gotta be the most censored song ever on a Tony telecast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbxkV5phyxo

 

Updated On: 2/13/25 at 02:24 PM

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 2:25pm

60'splayoff said: "Oh, how I love Whorehouse. I'm all for a revival.

Reba as Mona."

Kelly Clarkson as Mona, and raise the keys.   

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 2:32pm

This would be such a good one for Encores to do and then they might be able to get someone like Clarkson. 

[60'splayoff]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 2:36pm

Rentaholic2 said: "60'splayoff said: "Oh, how I love Whorehouse. I'm all for a revival.

Reba as Mona."

Kelly Clarkson as Mona, and raise the keys."

I thought about Kelly as well! I also think Chenoweth would be a fun choice.

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 3:58pm

For some fun, and for those who've never seen it, here's ''The Aggie Song'' from ''Whorehouse'' on the 1979 Tony Awards. Gotta bethe most censored song ever on a Tony telecast.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbxkV5phyxo

Xylophone working over time. Makes you wonder why they didn't just do A Little Bitty Pissant Country Place. The footage isn't the clearest, but the entire Actor's Fund performance is on Youtube.

 

 

[Jarethan]

Posted: 2/13/25 at 11:05pm

60'splayoff said: "Rentaholic2 said: "60'splayoff said: "Oh, how I love Whorehouse. I'm all for a revival.

Reba as Mona."

Kelly Clarkson as Mona, and raise the keys."

I thought about Kelly as well! I also think Chenoweth would be a fun choice."

Why would either one of them want to play Mona?  It is really not much of a role for a star...that is why Carlin Glynn was cast in the role (in which she was very good).  A I remember, Mona did not have a lot of singing, but I could be wrong; I was not a fan and only saw the show once.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 2/14/25 at 9:51am

Jarethan said: "60'splayoff said: "Rentaholic2 said: "60'splayoff said: "Oh, how I love Whorehouse. I'm all for a revival.

Reba as Mona."

Kelly Clarkson as Mona, and raise the keys."

I thought about Kelly as well! I also think Chenoweth would be a fun choice."

Why would either one of them want to play Mona? It is really not much of a role for a star...that is why Carlin Glynn was cast in the role (in which she was very good). A I remember, Mona did not have a lot of singing, but I could be wrong; I was not a fan and only saw the show once."

Mona sings quite a bit, including at the end of each Act.  I think her songs could be rearranged a bit to be more of a vocal showcase, but it's certainly a big role, which most people now associate with Dolly Parton. I could just see Kelly Clarkson (or Reba for that matter) having the right sensibility for the tone of the show, and she would be such a huge draw. 

If this show were to get a revisal, I actually wonder if they would pull in any songs from "Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public."  I've never listened to it, but I assume it has a gem or two. 

[QueenAlice]

Posted: 2/14/25 at 11:20am

The show is completely worthy of a revival; and yes could be a good choice for Encores; the score is a delight.  Jeffrey Richards held the rights for a number of years - they did two readings - one with Kristin Chenoweth and one with Jane Krakowski, neither of whom are ideal for the role of Mona, who in the play is rather salt of the earth.  You really need a Texas in this role. The part was originally written FOR Carlyn Glinn who was the wife of Pete Masterson, who wrote the script. It was based on an article in Playbill magazine and was developed at the Actors Studio where Pete and Carlyn were members.

The reason the revivival didn't move forward with Jeffrey Richards is that he wanted to do a revised version of the book and the creatives said no. The show doesn't need updating or rewriting. It should be set in 1978 when it was written.

Reba McIntrye has been approached about doing the part for decades and has turned it down multiple times. As a stage actor she is more interested in going against what people expect from her.

Kelly Clarkson is an interesting idea.  Or someone like Renee Zelwegger (also a Texan). The role of Mona requires a personality and an actress more than a singer.

Anyone curious should read the terrific "making of" book about the creation of the musical which is called "The Whorehouse Papers" by Larry L. King

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 2/14/25 at 12:05pm

I love this idea of Texan Renee Zellweger as Mona. She more than can handle Mona’s songs and can bring the sassiness and added layers to her interpretation. And I agree with Reba always turning down the role as it’s too obvious and not a stretch in any way for her. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 2/14/25 at 1:26pm

How big is the role of the narrator/bandleader? Does it double any other roles, or is it just "leads the band and opens the show with a monologue?"

[Kad]

Posted: 2/14/25 at 1:31pm

I've never seen the stage version but I'm fond of the cast album, though it does strike me as an old-fashioned show in its construction in that it is a rather thin plot and much of the score is sung by minor characters getting a moment rather than moving the plot forward.