The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas

Note for Audience Members

2009-04-28T03:25:49Z

Hello! I hope you enjoyed our piddly-squattin' production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas!
This is just a itty bitty pissant note to let you know that if you cannot find information you want on here, or would like something explained a little more, please comment and let me know. I'll do my best to add it. Ya'll come back now, ya hear?

Starting a blog

2009-04-26T18:14:43Z

Howdy, ya'll! This is Melanie Grace Guthrey, dramaturg for Emerson College's Emerson Stage production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. I will be providing instant access to information on all things "TBLWIT".

Please feel free comment on the appropriate entry with any suggestions or comments you have. There will be an entry for each dramaturgical element of the show (i.e. The Chicken Ranch, Marvin Zindler, the cast, et cetera), easily searchable by Tags and Categories).
For future reference, elocutionary posts like this will be tagged as "Letter".
This post will be found under the Categories Letters and Our Production.

You can also download and print your own copy of the Actor's Packet by clicking the link:
Actor's Packet.doc

Or download your own PowerPoint slideshow (as seen in the Majestic Lobby) by clicking this link: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.ppt

Have a nice time here and be sure to enjoy the show!

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

Book by Larry L. King & Peter Masterson
Music by Carol Hall
Director: Stephen Terrell
Cutler Majestic Theatre

Thursday, April 23 8pm
Friday, April 24 8pm
Saturday, April 25 2pm (talk back)
Saturday, April 25 8pm

Set in a small Texas town, the show follows the trials of the Chicken Ranch, a brothel targeted by an enterprising news reporter as a den of sin and "carnal lust". With a dynamic country score and heel-kicking choreography, this show will be directed by Stephen Terrell and play the Cutler Majestic Theatre April 23-25, 2009.

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Production Team

Director		Stephen Terrell
Musical Director		Todd Gordon
Choreographer		Stephen Terrell
Set Designer		Kathryn Kawecki
Costume Designer		Tiana Brinton
Lighting Designer		Phil Galler
Sound Designer		Adam Howarth


Stage Manager		Davin DeSantis
Company Manager		J'aimie Graham
Assistant Director		Brian Dann
Dramaturg		Melanie Guthrey

Guide to the Musical vs the Real

2009-04-25T01:19:29Z

Gilbert > LaGrange
Lanvil county > Fayette County

Miss Wulla Jean > Miss Jessie
Mona Stangely > Edna Milton
Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd > Sheriff T.J. Fournoy
Melvin P. Thorpe > Marvin Zindler

The Chicken Ranch Now

2009-04-24T03:12:38Z

I found this image of the Chicken Ranch in 2005. There are similar pictures by others. Apparently (from article and pictures) the Chicken Ranch Restaurant merely relocated the main house building to Houston. The rest was left thereand still serves as a site for tourists to La Grange.

Set Design - Kathryn Kawecki

2009-04-24T02:59:01Z

"I wanted the space to have a sense of small-town-hominess and warmth, but I also wanted to make sure it was transformable. We need to be able to go to several locations, but at it's core the house and the music are the heart of this show, so the band and the framework of the house are always present. The rest of the show and design are built on top of and around that base, so we always have it as a touchstone. Other than that, I just wanted to give it a sense of fun. It's a fun show."

Costume Design - Tiana Brinton

2009-04-24T02:54:46Z

"We wanted to make all the costumes true to the time period and work with the very distinctive 1970s Texan look. There are a lot of cowboy hats and boots, Western-cut shirts, and jeans for the men, and the Chicken Ranch girls all wear garments of shorter length and bright colors with varying styles to reflect their individual personalities.
"It was important to us that the girls didn't look trashy, since the Chicken Ranch is a place where Miss Mona and the girls have control, and they have to maintain Miss Mona's standards for how the business is run. It was great to get to design for such a wide variety of characters, from prostitutes to tacky businessmen to pink gingham-clad chorus singers, and the fact that it's in 1973 added to the fun of it."

Props Master - Katherine Fleming

2009-04-24T02:51:04Z

"As the props master my job is to work with the director and set designer to actualize their vision, its about problem solving and making finishing touches on the world they have created. My assistants and I started with a meeting with Stephen Terrel a few months ago and have been developing these props since. This show has been an interesting journey as it is my first time propping a large musical, I learned quickly that there is 18 of everything."

Chicken Ranch Practices - As Given in the Musical

2009-03-24T00:51:19Z

There are many practices of the Chicken Ranch that are mentioned in the beginning of the show. Let's explore them and more!

Miss 'Wulla Jean' and perversions - Miss Jessie, the real counterpart to Miss Wulla Jean, did not care for anything more exotic than the missionary position and would throw customers out if they asked for more.

precloital genital washing - this was really practiced in the Chicken Ranch. Entry elaborates.

not going into Gilbert - the girls of the Chicken Ranch would not have been overly welcome in the city of La Grange. As Texas Monthly puts it, the girls would not be invited to community bar-b-ques, but would be given leftovers.

coming at the sound of the bell - this is a common practice for brothels. The girls are expected to show up, no matter the time of day, when customers show up and the bell is rung. The idea is that the girls are always available.

set price for sex - unlike the brothels of Nevada, the Chicken Ranch really did have set prices for their time and acts (fellatio being added in the 1960's). This tended to range from $3-$40 under Miss Jessie.

Aggie discount - there seems to have been an $8 Aggie discount in place for students of Texas A&M. Aggies have been known to, upon finding out that a peer is a virgin, tie him up and take him to the Chicken Ranch.

regular medical checks - the girls of the Chicken Ranch had mandated bi-weekly medical checks to make sure they were healthy and clean. Local officials knew about this and recieved a twice yearly report of the status of the Chicken Ranch from the Sheriff.

girls from far away - as a matter of course the girls at the Chicken Ranch were not local girls. This allowed for there to be female and spousal support of the business (for keeping rape from happening) after it was exposed on television.

Edna Milton

2009-03-24T00:38:16Z

Image property of Corbis

Edna Milton, or Mona Stangley in the musical, was the madam of the Chicken Ranch from 1952 until its closing in 1973.

She worked for Miss Jessie for a very short time before buying the land and house from her. Her history before showing up at the Chicken Ranch in unknown.

Edna continued many of the practices that Miss Jessie had started, continuing the amiable relationship between brothel and local government and community support.

After the Chicken Ranch closed, she moved to east Texas and married a restaurant owner. When the Chicken Ranch Restaurant opened in Austin, she became its hostess. After that closed she went on Broadway as Miss Wulla Jean and a consultant to the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

A fun anecdote about how Edna left the show:
One night, as she was saying goodbye to the stage manager, he said he'd see her tomorrow. She said, "No. I'm goin' home," and left. Of course they expected her to show up the next day, not having talked about leaving with anyone. But sure enough, she did not return the next night and had, in fact, left and gone home to east Texas.

The Chicken Ranch vs Industry

2009-03-17T00:12:15Z

One argument held against the Chicken Ranch was that it ran off new businesses and industry by its proximity. This is most likely true.

Outsiders in a conservative area are not likely to choose found their businesses and hence raise their families in a place with a whorehouse. It simply isn't wholesome.

Especially since the population of La Grange is almost entirely from near proximity and would have known about the Chicken Ranch.

It is rumored that the Chicken Ranch would have brought in tourist dollars which would circulate the city. While this may be true, it would not be families or vacationers, meaning money would only be used for food and drink.

Even if the revenue of the Chicken Ranch equaled or surpassed that of a additional businesses, the money would not have recirculated in LaGrange. As the script mentions, the girls were not welcome in town. Also, most prostitutes are in financial situations similar to Angel's, supporting children or debts.

Additionally, the prostitutes of the Chicken Ranch were never from LaGrange itself, making the Chicken Ranch anything but a place of employment for locals.

Texas A&M, Home of the Aggies

2009-03-14T21:19:40Z

Located in Bryan/College Station Texas, 2 hours northwest of Austin

Branch Campuses in Galveston, TX and the Middle Eastern country of Qatar

Founded: 1876, Texas' first public institution of higher learning

originally sported the name Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas
Texas A&M was an abbreviation until 1963 when it got university status
A&M no longer stands for anything and is the official name of the university

Campus: 5,000 acres

48,000 students
25% of freshman class are first in family to attend college
8,500 grad students

Aggie - any athlete, student, or alum of Texas A&M

1920's students began to be referred to as 'Aggies' instead of 'Farmers'
1949 the yearbook changed name to 'Aggieland' and it became official

Mascot - Reveille (VII), a full-blooded collie. She is the highest ranking member of the Texas

A&A Corps of Cadets. "Miss Rev" can be seen around campus, in class, and events.

Corps of Cadets - est 1976 as a military institution. Membership is voluntary. Largest

uniformed body of students outside the U.S. military academies. Contains the Fish Drill Team - wins the national championship in precision drill most years since formation in 1946. Site here. "Traditions Exhibits" on the right is interesting.

Official colors - Maroon and white, referred to in 1925 song, "The Spirit of Aggieland"

Precloital Rinse of Male Genitalia

2009-03-14T18:56:48Z

In The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the girls must wash all customers before sexual intercourse can take place. It is assumed that this procedure occurs to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). This method of STD prevention is a last ditch effort to protect the girls and customers.

Its effectiveness is unsubstantiated, unproved, and not recommended or endorsed.

However, here are my thoughts on the slight effects it could have had:

Potentially lessen the chance of catching a bacterial infection.

gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia are examples
the chance of effect would be increased by adding an acidic liquid to the water
these are treatable with antibiotics, so there a chance of eradicating it later

Would most likely of these lessen the chance of catching any genital problem that shows externally (topical ailments)

could remove some Pubic Lice, also know as 'crabs'
could reduce chance of contracting Scabies
could reduce change of contracting the viral Genital Warts during an outbreak

Would not protect from viral STDs of any sort

herpes (HSV), hepatitis (HBV), or HIV/AIDS
genital warts (HPV) is a viral STD. {Yes, the HPV that causes cervical cancer}
viral STDs cannot be cured, only the symptoms may be treated

As far as postcloital washing is concerned, it could aid customers in not contracting a disease. Postcloital washing does not positively effect females, however.

the penis reaches past the cervix, effectively placing all ejaculate beyond the typical reach of water
douching of any sort is not recommeneded by medical professionals. Even if an acidic agent is added (as has been hypothesized could alter vaginal state enough to prevent conception - unsubstanciated), it would not effect the bacteria
in truth, douching can alter the state of the vaginal so greatly that natural bacteria used to fight and ward off diseases are destroyed, leaving the female more prone to contracting any and all present STDs

Contraception in 1973

2009-03-14T18:55:24Z

76.1% of low-income married couples are using contraceptives

The pill is the most widely used method (40% of the 100% of all methods used)

Other options include: diaphragm, condom, foam, IUD, male/female sterilization

Source:

Improvement in Contraceptive Practice 1970-1973 Was Greater Among Low- Income Than More Affluent Couples. Family Planning Perspectives. Vol. 8, No. 6 (Nov. - Dec., 1976), pp. 279-28. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2134403

Contraception Failure Rates

2009-03-14T18:52:17Z

Typical Failure Rates of Methods of Birth Control During the First Year of Use:

No birth control methods 85%

Vaginal sponge 20-40%

Cervical cap 20-40%

Spermicides alone 26%

Periodic abstinence (rhythm) 25%

Condom (female) 21%

Diaphragm with spermicides 20%

Withdrawal 19%

Condom (male) 14%

Female sterilization >1%

IUD >1-2%

Male sterilization >1%

Oral contraceptives (Pill) >1%

Source: Loestrin24Fe, detailed patient labeling

Additional Info, official FDA reports: U.S. Food and Drug Admin. Birth Control Guide