Totem Pole Playhouse, America’s summer theatre, located in Caledonia State Park between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, PA will offer the largest production ever staged at the historic 69 yr. old Playhouse, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which is being produced by Theatre A Go-Go, Inc. as the fourth offering in the Playhouse’s new summer subscription series.
The show offers a happy-go-lucky view of small-town vice and statewide political side-stepping and recounts the demise of the Chicken Ranch, a brothel that has been operating outside of fictional Gilbert, Texas, for more than a century. It is under the proprietorship of Miss Mona Stangley, who is on good terms with the local sheriff, Ed Earl Dodd. Governors, senators, mayors, and even victorious college football teams frequent Miss Mona’s cozy bordello, that is until crusading television reporter, Melvin P. Thorpe, decides to make the illegal activity an issue causing political ramifications which force the place to be closed down. The 1982 film version starring Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds was one of the highest-grossing live-action musical films of the 1980s.
Branson, Missouri veteran performer, Miranda Jane stars as ‘Miss Mona’, the proprietress of the legendary “Chicken Ranch.” Kristofer Holtz plays the Sheriff, ‘Ed Earl Dodd’ who watches over Miss Mona and her girls. J.R. Stuart, who played the larger than life Producer in Totem Pole’s 2017 production of The Drowsy Chaperone returns as ‘Melvin P. Thorpe’, the crusading televisionreporter. Shuga Henry plays, ‘Jewel,’ the housekeeper at the Chicken Ranch and Lee Merriman plays ‘the Governor’ who eventually orders the place shut down. Playing other supporting roles are Taylor Whidden as ‘Doatsy Mae,’ ‘Ed Riggs as Senator Wingwoah,’ Michael Krikorian as ‘Mayor Rufus Poindexter,’ Chris Cook as ‘C.J. Scruggs,’ and Michael Amoroso in the dual roles of ‘Edsel Mackey,’ the town’s newspaper editor and the guitar-playing ‘Bandleader’ who serves as the show’s narrator.
Playing the Aggie football players and various other ensemble roles are: Hank Von Kolnitz, Jeremy Weinstein, Connor McGarry, Taylor Wright, Jake Pedersen, Matthew Dant, Noah Ruebeck, Jack Leboeuf; playing Miss Mona’s girls and various other roles are: Lainee Hunter as ‘Angel,’ Katie Emery as ‘Shy,’ Jennifer Flohr as ‘Linda Lou,’ Caitlin Cremins as ‘Dawn,’ Mara Ranson as ‘Ginger,’ Annie Gagen as ‘Beatrice,’ Maria Albani-Cook as ‘Teddy Jo,’ Jenna Najjar as ‘Ruby Rae,’ Emma VanDeVelde ‘Eloise,’ and Haley Nachlas as ‘Durla.’
The remaining ensemble members who will also be playing a variety of parts are: Logan Cook, Rachel Kern, Bryton Zook, Kristine Neiman, and Andrew Zabetakis.
The production is directed by veteran Totem Pole director, David Caldwell, with choreography by Christine O’Grady, the pair who staged the Playhouse’s box-office record-breaking production of Mamma Mia! last season. Totem Pole’s Musical Director, Darren Server, leads the band and provides the show’s musical direction. Scenery is by Jonathan Dahn Robertson,
Lighting by Jeremy Mayo, Sound by Joseph Parisi and Luke Reed serves as the production’s Stage Manager.
As with each of its productions Totem Pole is offering half-price preview performances the first weekend of the show; Friday, August 2 at 8pm and Saturday, August 3 at 2pm and 8pm with all seats general admission and priced at $25.00. The production opens Sunday, August 4 at 2pm and continues through August 18th.
In addition to the three half-price previews, this summer, Totem Pole instituted a new “Date Night Special” with patrons offered 50% off a second pair of tickets when they purchase one pair at full-price.
Tickets and gift certificates are on sale now by calling the Totem Pole Playhouse Box Office Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (717) 352-2164.
The long-running hit comedy whodunit, “Shear Madness” is set to begin performances this Friday, May 31st through June 16th at Totem Pole Playhouse, America’s summer theatre, located in Caledonia State Park between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, PA. Totem Pole is one of the first theatres in the country to be granted a limited performance rights license to present the show, which has been running continuously at the Charles Playhouse in Boston since 1980 and at the Kennedy Center in D.C. for over 30 years. The play has the distinction of being one of the longest-running stage comedies in the world.
Totem Pole audience favorite, Shane Partlow, who had a supporting role in this year’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, Green Book, plays the operator of a local (Chambersburg, PA) beauty salon where the murder takes place. Zack Powell, who has appeared regularly in the Kennedy Center production, will reprise his role of ‘Mikey’, the young detective and Craig Benton, a veteran of the Kansas City production will play the lead detective, Nick Rossetti, who leads the audience in solving the murder mystery. Rounding out the suspects are Lisa McMillian from the show’s national tour, reprising her role as socialite ‘Mrs. Shubert’, and New York actors, MaryAnne Piccolo and Christian Cardoza as the other stylist in the salon and a handsome antiques dealer. The production will feature many humorous references to Franklin and Adams County area attractions. The audience joins in the fun by voting at every performance on who the
The long-running hit comedy whodunit, “Shear Madness” is set to begin performances this Friday, May 31st through June 16th at Totem Pole Playhouse, America’s summer theatre, located in Caledonia State Park between Gettysburg and Chambersburg, PA. Totem Pole is one of the first theatres in the country to be granted a limited performance rights license to present the show, which has been running continuously at the Charles Playhouse in Boston since 1980 and at the Kennedy Center in D.C. for over 30 years. The play has the distinction of being one of the longest-running stage comedies in the world.
Totem Pole audience favorite, Shane Partlow, who had a supporting role in this year’s Oscar-winning Best Picture, Green Book, plays the operator of a local (Chambersburg, PA) beauty salon where the murder takes place. Zack Powell, who has appeared regularly in the Kennedy Center production, will reprise his role of ‘Mikey’, the young detective and Craig Benton, a veteran of the Kansas City production will play the lead detective, Nick Rossetti, who leads the audience in solving the murder mystery. Rounding out the suspects are Lisa McMillian from the show’s national tour, reprising her role as socialite ‘Mrs. Shubert’, and New York actors, MaryAnne Piccolo and Christian Cardoza as the other stylist in the salon and a handsome antiques dealer. The production will feature many humorous references to Franklin and Adams County area attractions. The audience joins in the fun by voting at every performance on who the murderer is with the cast then performing that particular ending, which can change from one performance to the next. Totem Pole’s Producing Artistic Director, Rowan Joseph directs. The set is designed by D.C. scenic designer Jonathan Dahm Robertson with lighting design by Jeremy Mayo. Gettysburg College’s Juls Buehrer is the costume designer for the production.
As with all Totem Pole’s productions the first three performances are half-price previews with tickets $25.00 and seating general admission. Additionally; this summer, Totem Pole instituted a new “Date Night Special” with patrons offered 50% off a second pair of tickets when they purchase one pair at full-price.
The production opens this Sunday at 2 pm with the audience invited to greet the cast and enjoy some summer refreshments after the show as part of admission.
Tickets, gift certificates and a variety of subscriptions packages are on sale now by calling the Totem Pole Playhouse Box Office Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (717) 352-2164. Or purchase tickets online here.
Totem Pole Playhouse, America’s beloved summer theatre, located in Caledonia State Park between Chambersburg and Gettysburg, PA, has announced that the Playhouse’s production of the mega-hit Broadway musical Mamma Mia! set a new box office record for advance ticket sales in the Playhouse’s 68-year history. To date, over $280,000.00 in tickets have been sold putting the show on track to surpass last season’s box office record-breaking production of Million Dollar Quartet. Due to the high demand for tickets, Totem Pole is reopening the 42-seat Club Section in the rear of the historic theatre which was removed several seasons ago. Mamma Mia! will begin performances this Friday at 8PM and Saturday at 2PM and 8PM with three low cost $20.00 general admission previews followed by the official Opening Sunday afternoon at 2PM. The production is scheduled to run through August 19th, a week longer than the previous three shows in the summer season.
Set on a colorful Greek island, the plot centers on a 20-year old bride-to-be, Sophie, who while reading her mother’s diary discovers the names of three of her mother’s former partners, Sam, Harry, and Bill. She decides to invite all three to the wedding without telling her mother, Donna. Sophie is convinced that she will recognize which one of the men is her father once she meets them. Donna, who was once the lead singer of a musical group, “Donna and the Dynamos,” invites her two former back-up singers, Rosie and Tanya. They all descend on the quaint rustic hotel Donna operates only to end up at a wedding that none of them could have expected.
Emily Ashton Meredith, who starred in Totem Pole’s 2015 production of Shenandoah, returns as Sophie. Playing her mother, Donna, will be Amy Decker who previously appeared at the Playhouse in several shows, most recently last season’s The Drowsy Chaperone. The three fathers will be played by Gil Brady as Sam, Ken Allen Neely as Harry, and Shawn Martin, who starred in last season’s Irving Berlin Revue, I Love a Piano, as Bill. Alexandra Melrose and Erica Hanrahan-Ball will appear as Donna’s former back-up singers, Rosie and Tanya. Playing Sophie’s fiancé, Sky, will be Max Falls with Breanna Ogaldez playing Lisa and Camila Paquet playing Ali, Sophie’s best friends. Taylor Kellas Warren, who played the Pharaoh in the season opener, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, returns as Pepper, and Stavros Koumbaros, who starred in the 2016 production of Forever Plaid, will play Eddie. Rounding out the ensemble are: Leah Hassett, Mary Beth Donahoe, Morgan Southwell, Alison Rose Munn, Hank von Kolnitz, Elijah King, Nathan Richardson, and Cody Parson.
The production is staged and directed by veteran Totem Pole director, David Caldwell, and choreographed by Christine O’Grady, her fifth consecutive summer choreographing shows at the Playhouse. Darren Server, Totem Pole’s perennial musical director, serves in the same capacity for this final production in the Playhouse’s four-show summer season. Jim Fouchard, who has designed sets at the Playhouse since 1982, is the set designer, Stephanie Jones is designing costumes, Kate Wecker is the show’s sound designer, and Jonathan Dunkle is designing the lighting, with Ryan Gibbs serving as the show’s stage manager for the three-week run.
Single ticket reserved seat prices are $50.00 with $35.00 tickets available for groups of 10 or more. Groups of 30 or more pay half-price at just $25.00 a ticket.
Club section tickets are only available by calling the Totem Pole Playhouse Box Office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at (717) 352-2164; all other seats may be purchased on line at www.totempoleplayhouse.org.
