SMT's BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS Opens May 17

Based on the true story of a legendary brothel that operated from the 1840s to 1973, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is a rollicking hootenanny of a musical. Miss Mona's cozy bordello, The Chicken Ranch, is the heart and soul of this small Texas town -also one of its worst-kept secrets.

For 13 performances, an all local cast brings the charming story of a pleasure palace frequented by law enforcement, Governors, senators, mayors and even a winning college football team -to the stage. The all-too-familiar political side-stepping resonates more today than ever to make this award-winning musical (and wildly popular Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds film) a rousing not-to-be-missed season finale.

Director Alan WIlkie describes this musical as, "a timeless story that, at its core, is about the hero in all of us and a very different kind of 'family'" He has integrated a two-story set complete with some banjo pickin' and a rockin' steel guitar country band

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened on Broadway in 1978, just 5 years after the real Chicken Ranch finally shut down in Texas. The musical ran for nearly 1600 Broadway performances and this Seattle Musical Theatre production is sure to delight. It will be the first Northwest appearance of Laura Lee Funk, a recent Alabama transplant, as Miss Mona. It also features Viviana Y Garza (Ruby Ray), Izzy Schonfeld (Eloise), Hanna Flores (Duria), Tom Stewart (Sherriff Ed Earl Dodd), Adam Minton (Melvin P Thorpe), Michael Ingersoll (Governor), Bill Higham (Senator Wingwaugh) and Eric Hartley (Edsel Mackey). Ensemble includes: Dylan Cook, Nate Devish, Darl Horning, Taylor Larson, Canyon Mosely, Tony Schmitt and James Stanford.

Direction, is by Alan Wilkie, choreography by Chris Nardine, set design by Norm Crawford, music direction by Josh Zimmerman, costume design by Penny McMillan-Hughes, lighting design by Mark Thomson and the tech director is James Boynton. Bennett Crawford is the stage manager.

Performances are May 17 - 19 and May 31 - June 9 at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. There is an additional evening performance on Thursday June 6th at 7:30 pm. General Admission tickets are $40. Senior, Student and Military tickets are $35. Tickets are available at www.seattlemusicaltheatre.org.

About Seattle Musical TheatreSeattle Musical Theatre (SMT) was founded as Seattle Civic Light Opera (CLO) in 1977 by a group of Seattle opera enthusiasts, including Joan Galstaun and Barbara McHargue. With a keen interest in offering theatre to North Seattle communities, they pooled personal resources, located a venue above a music store in Northgate, (Heritage Theatre), and launched CLO's first season with German composer Johann Strauss' "The Gypsy Baron". By 1978, the venue was running at capacity so the troupe moved to the 750-seat auditorium in the Jane Addams School in Lake City. In response to audience requests, CLO began including musicals as part of their 1980 season. CLO remained at the Jane Addams stage through 2002 but a school remodel forced them to relocate. From 2003 to 2008 CLO operated, temporarily, from the Shoreline Community Center; it was during this time (2006) that a rebranding campaign for SMT was launched. In 2008 the newly branded Seattle Musical Theatre moved into Building 47 of the Historic Magnuson Park.

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