Theatre continues to educate me about the history of some of Texas' more abominable institutions. Today in preparation for an audition I find myself looking up a wiki article entitled "History of Vice in Texas". Yes, the time has come, that day about which I was so excited before I left Melbourne. This weekend I plan to go and audition for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas..... in Texas.
Here's the thing, though. I just don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I want to be a smiling, happy prostitute dancing around in my underwear singing about how "there's nothing dirty going on". Because there's not much that gets my hackles up more than objectification. BUT bless my sheltered little life, I've never actually had a conversation with a prostitute. I'm sure prostitution is more complicated than I think it is, and I know the moral issues of theatre are very complicated (e.g., I have a callback audition the day after the Whorehouse auditions for Cabaret and Chicago, and I wouldn't have a problem dancing around in my underwear for those shows). And it's going to be dead interesting to see how Texans respond to this musical. Will they see themselves in it at all? E.g., the biggest production number is a dance scene by a chorus of football players from Texas A & M, a very big Houston university.
Anyhoo, I'm off to the library where apparently they have the libretto so I can do some more thinking. Meanwhile, today's performance of Freedom Train got rescheduled so I don't have to get the whip (or the fabulous big poofy Southern belle skirt, a recent addition to the costumes) out until tomorrow. But thanks for the good wishes, everyone!
So, I must admit my desire for you to do 'Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'.... in Texas may be somewhat self-interested. However, to help you along in your thinking, you may be interested in a BBC 4 doco I saw a chunk of on SBS a year or two ago. They have it streaming at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/a-wi-ladys-guide-to-brothels/4od, it is geo-blocked here in Aus, but you may be able to watch it in the land of the free, or find it from another source.
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