Stage Struck Review
Reviewing Theatre For Over 40 Years
Tag Archives: Rashonda Johnson
“The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” – Solid rendition, dated content

The do-gooders rally to ruin The Chicken Ranch (aka The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) at Candlelight Pavilion
It’s not the first place you think of to host the silly, but somewhat risque 1970s musical “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” but the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre in Claremont has made reputation recently for redefining the material such an institution will provide. Hot on the heels of “The Full Monty” and “Sweeney Todd,” their stage now hosts a ladies of a house of ill repute, a chorus of randy football players, and a live country band.
Actually, that batch of live musicians is the most innovative choice. With the exception of concert-like or tribute programs, Candlelight Pavilion usually uses the pre-recorded material now available for musicals on small stages. The in-house band, headed by musical director Douglas Austin, gives an immediacy to everything which proves surprisingly satisfying.
The production itself, directed and choreographed by John Vaughan, has style and pizzazz, and just enough titillation to bring that “wink, wink, nudge, nudge” factor one expects from a musical about such a topic. The performers are earnest to excellent. Still, one of the things which jumps out at the audience the most is how far we have come in our sensibilities since the 1970s. The thing isn’t played like a period piece, but it is one.
Lisa Layne does a solid job with the practical, but caring madam, Miss Mona. She has the voice for country music, and her performance does much to hold the show together. Steven Biggs’ friendly country sheriff makes a nice balance to Layne, offering tinges of middle-aged romance in the midst of the rest. Rashonda Johnson delivers another show-stopping performance as the house’s maid.
Indeed, all of the cast are enthusiastic and the energy is consistently strong. The singer/dancers who form the ensemble of “girls” and their paying customers dance well. The only slight disappointment comes from the comparatively quiet rendition of “The Aggie Song” – normally one of the most testosterone-laden shout-outs in modern musicals. Jeremy Magouirk makes fun work of the righteous investigator who threatens the house’s existence, and David Aldrete has fun with a stereotypical Texas politician or two.
Still, despite a script offers a view of women, and of prostitution, which is increasingly old fashioned. When the sheriff argues the economic plus to having this industry near town, it just isn’t as funny as it was when I first saw it in 1979, and not because it isn’t well presented.
So, the Candlelight Pavilion production of “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” is not for children. It’ just graphic enough – at least in implication – to leave younger kids with some awkward questions at the table. It is, however, quite well done, filled with entertaining dance numbers and considerable humor. Placed in its own time period, it becomes a humorous counter-argument to the women’s movement. Placed in our own, it jars a bit with how far many feel we’ve come in the past 35-40 years.
What: “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” When: Through February 2, doors open for dinner at 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, 5 p.m. on Sundays, and 11 a.m. for Saturday and Sunday matinees Where: Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater, 455 W. Foothill Blvd. in Claremont How Much: meal inclusive, $53-$68 adults, $25 children under 12 Info: (909) 626-1254 ext. 1 or http://www.candlelightpavilion.com
You Can Feel It All Over: The Motown Sound in Claremont

Eric Bailey, Desmond Clark, Gary Lewis, and Lawrence Cummings as The Four Tops in “Sounds of Motown”
I have a confession to make. When all those around me were screaming and swooning over The Beatles, my favorite group was The Supremes. Turns out I was not alone. Diana Ross and her pals were the single most popular American group of that era, and their sales worldwide were right up there with the Fab Four. Motown was the definition of American music in the mid-60s.
It was that sound – Barry Gordy’s brash combination of rhythm and blues with a bouncy rock and roll edge – combined with the flash and the choreography, and songs which had a kind of stick-to-your-ribs familiarity. I couldn’t get enough. If you’re like me, then you are going to enjoy “The Sounds of Motown” – a revue filled with familiar favorites now at the Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater in Claremont.
Unlike some tributes, this show doesn’t try to tell the life story of either Gordy or his company. Rather, it simply collects a group of talented performers to recreate (at least in general tone) the music and the group dynamics which made Motown Records what it was. Martha and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder are all represented, as is, rather inexplicably in that she was not a Motown artist, Patty La Belle. By the end, folks are ready to get up and dance.
Some renditions ring truer than others, of course, and even among a very talented cast there are standout moments. Roshanda Johnson’s version of “Neither One of Us” leaves one wishing there was more Gladys Knight music in the show than there is, and her “Lady Marmalade,” however inexplicable in this revue, is terrific to listen to. Seven-year-old CJ Wright proves earnest and impressive covering parts associated with the youthful Michael Jackson. Gary Lewis manages a variety of styles well, Jessica Mason makes a nice Mary Wells, and Desmond Clark’s “Do You Love Me” and “Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie)” are just plain fun.
Indeed, all of the cast has impressive talent. Eric Bailey, Paul David Bryant, Allisonne Crawford, Lawrence Cummings (who did an impressive job, the night I visited, outsinging his backup even when his mic didn’t work), Jo Rhea Dalcour, Jazz Madison and Valentina Merchant each have moments where they shine personally, and the whole cast blends well together – a neat trick in itself. Director John LaLonde keeps the thing moving along at just the right pace to avoid those “we’ve all got to change costume now” lags. The cast is joined by a poundingly good live band, giving the whole enterprise a specific energy.
Now, there is always an issue when one is providing covers of songs whose original performances are permanently imprinted in people’s brains. There are occasions where a harmony isn’t quite as harmonious as one remembers, or a tonality doesn’t match the particular timbre of the original singer. The decision to rotate performers to the “up front” spot means those tonalities sometimes shift from song to song by a single artistic group, which can be disconcerting. Still, this ensemble works together to bring the essence of Motown alive enough that by the time they ask folks to feel free to get up and dance, it’s what you want to do.
As always at Candlelight Pavilion’s main productions, the show comes along with a fine dinner. And that is special too, of course, as this is the last dinner theater in the greater Los Angeles area. But I have to admit, the nostalgia is pretty sweet too.
What: “The Sound of Motown” When: Through September 8, doors open for dinner 6 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays., 5 p.m. Sundays, and at 11 a.m. for Saturday and Sunday matinees Where: Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theater, 455 W. Foothill Blvd. in Claremont How Much: $53-$68 general, $25 children 12 and under, including meal, show and sales tax Info: (909) 626-1254, ext. 1 or http://www.candlelightpavilion.com