Theater News

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Will Return to Broadway

Rob Ashford is set to direct and choreograph an upcoming revival.

Dolly Parton (center) and the cast of the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Dolly Parton (center) and the cast of the film adaptation of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

A revival of the classic musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas has its sights set on Broadway, to be directed and choreographed in 2015 by Tony winner Rob Ashford. No additional timeline, casting, or theater has yet been announced.

With a score by Carol Hall and a book Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is inspired by the goings on at the Chicken Ranch brothel in La Grange, Texas, which operated from 1905 to 1973. The musical follows an eclectic cast of characters including Miss Mona Stangley, the brothel's proprietor, who must contend with a crusading television reporter working to get the destination shut down.

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas premiered off-Broadway at the Entermedia Theatre on April 17, 1978 and moved to Broadway's 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers) on June 19 of that year. It played 1584 performances and spawned a popular film adaptation starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds.

The Broadway revival will be produced by Jerry Frankel and Jeffrey Richards, the latter of whom served as the press representative for the show's original Broadway run.