Theater Review -- Tom Titus

It may have been a good four decades since she was the sweetest young

thing in Sweet Apple, Ohio, but Ann-Margret is an object lesson in aging

gracefully.

Having conquered the silver screen and the night club circuit, the

Swedish-born entertainer -- still seductive at 60 -- has finally

discovered the world of musical theater, headlining a spirited revival of

“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” at the Orange County Performing

Arts Center.

And, while she may have slowed down a tad since she was getting Elvis

Presley all shook up in “Viva Las Vegas,” Ann-Margret can still take

charge of a stage with her mature sensuality and the smokiest voice since

June Christy’s. Her Miss Mona, proprietress of the infamous Chicken Ranch

in the 1970s, is simply delicious -- to the point that it’s difficult to

believe this is her first stage musical.

This rollicking, raunchy show has grown up a bit since local audiences

last viewed it some two decades ago at the now-defunct Harlequin Dinner

Playhouse. The dialogue definitely is R-rated, but whether that means

“restricted” or “riotous” depends on your sensibilities.

Actually, the ribaldry is structurally necessary to help shield the

fact that the Larry L. King/Peter Masterson musical comedy, with music

and lyrics by Carol Hall, is stretched tightly over a paper-thin plot

about the closure of a real-life cathouse in the Lone Star State after a

TV muckraker “exposes” what the local citizenry had been aware of for

ages.

Certainly the town sheriff is hip to the Chicken Ranch, since he and

Miss Mona have been bedroom buddies for some time. Gary Sandy jumps

cowboy boots first into this raucous character, keeping the blue noses at

bay until a higher authority intervenes. Sandy’s lawman is a first cousin

to Jackie Gleason’s famed Buford T. Justice, with all the appropriate

swagger and down-home “plain talk” that may cause parents to cover their

children’s ears. He hits the high comic notes repeatedly in a stellar

portrayal.

Avery Sommers as Jewel, Miss Mona’s second in command, reverberates

her vocals off the Center’s back wall in a spirited performance. Ed Dixon

is a real hoot as the sidestepping governor, playing politics with this

hot-button issue, while Rob Donohoe excels as the nemesis of the Chicken

Ranch, smarmy newshawk Melvin P. Thorpe.

Roxie Lucas, who appeared in the show’s original Broadway production a

generation ago, enriches her role as the wisecracking waitress whose solo

lament, “Doatsy Mae,” is a first-act highlight.

Terri Dixon and Jen Celene Little strike a glorious contrast as two

new chicks at the Chicken Ranch -- Dixon as a gum-chewing veteran hooker

and Little as the untested rookie striving to succeed.

Director-choreographer Thommie Walsh has fashioned some hilarious,

high-stepping musical numbers, the funniest of which involves the Texas

Aggies football team literally caught with their pants down at the

victory celebration. Ann-Margret puts a splendid finishing touch on the

evening with her poignant solo, “A Friend to Me,” added especially for

her talents.

Texas, as the song goes, has a whorehouse in it, and it’s indeed the

best one we’ve seen in these parts, with the musical tempo kicked into

high gear by conductor Anne Shuttleworth and her Hired Hand Band,

strategically placed center stage. “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

is a rip-snortin’ musical and comedic treat.

* TOM TITUS reviews local theater for the Daily Pilot. His reviews

appear Thursdays and Saturdays.

FYI

* What: “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas”

* Where: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

* When: Closing performances 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

* Cost: $27.50-$64.50

* Call: (714) 556-2122