Preview: The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Church Hill Theatre

AMERICA is the setting for the latest offering from Edinburgh-based amateur musical theatre company Allegro. They bring their all-singing, all-dancing production of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas to the stage of the Church Hill Theatre, next week.

Set in the 1970s, Larry L King, Peter Masterson and Carol Hall's musical, inspired by a real-life whorehouse in La Grange, tells the story of the Chicken Ranch, Texas' infamous house of ill-repute run by Miss Mona and her girls.

Can local TV mogul Melvin P Thorpe and his followers close the place down or will Sheriff Ed Earl save the day?

Linsey Brack, President of Allegro, says, "This year we wanted to do a show that was a bit different but fun and with lots of colourful characters, great tunes and plenty of laughs.

"The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas is also saucy in parts, too, which isn't something we normally get to do.

"In terms of its iconography, many people will be familiar with the film version starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, but there are more elements to the stage version that are not revealed in the film.

"You are immediately drawn into the history of the Chicken Ranch and you see that Miss Mona is a woman with a past and is looking out for each of her girls.

"There are also hints of a would-be romance between her and the Sheriff, which in moments is quite touching.

"Whereas in the film version you don't find out much about the whores, here we meet each of the girls, including two new faces Angel and Shy, who have different reasons for working at the Chicken Ranch.

"There are some really catchy songs in the show, from the opening 20 Fans and A Lil Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place to the soulful 24 Hours of Lovin, Melvin P Thorpe's hilariously camp Texas Has A Whorehouse In It, The Sidestep and the melancholic Doatsey Mae and Hard Candy Christmas.

"The local American Football team, the Aggies, also get to shine in The Aggie Song. There are so many highlights in the show it would be difficult to choose just one."

First staged on Broadway in 1978, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas was made into a film in 1982. Allegro's previous productions include Return to the Forbidden Planet in 2009 and Summer Holiday in 2008.

The cast of their current production includes Melanie Sherwood, Alexandra Junginger, Gina Muego, Nicole Watt, Fiona Brownlee, Peter Tomassi, Lech Boron and David Grimes.

The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, Church Hill Theatre, Morningside Road, Tuesday-Saturday, 7.30pm (Saturday matinee 2.30pm), 10-12.50, www.tickets-scotland.com