Union Board stages musical at Buskirk-Chumley

Last year, the Union Board Fine Arts committee brought the student production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to the Bloomington community. Based on this production's success, the committee decided to try again this semester, with a staging of the musical "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas."\n"This show has sex appeal -- it's popular and fun," said senior Karen Biddle, Union Board fine arts director and producer of the show. \nThe musical tells the story of a Texas house of ill repute, the battle between those who want to shut it down (the character Melvin P. Thorpe, a television reporter, played by Dom DeLuise in the 1982 movie) and those who will do anything to keep it open (proprietor Miss Mona, played by Dolly Parton in the movie and sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, played by Burt Reynolds in the movie).\nBiddle said the show was chosen because of the cast size, and the popular appeal of the show encouraged many students to become involved.\n"We have biochemistry, business, Spanish, HPER and music majors, to name a few, all working together on a fantastic production," Biddle said. "We have first-semester freshmen and fifth-year seniors -- it's great to be part of a project that allows such diverse participation."\nThe production features IU students exclusively and is a product of 10 months of preparation, according to a Union Board press release. \n"Students did it all," said Biddle. "There are students on both sides of the curtain -- on the stage, in the band, on the technical aspects and also in the audience."\nThe production has been financed by student money, through the student activities fees, said Biddle. It is co-sponsored by the Union Board and Residential Programs and Services.\nAll the student involvement has led to a few challenges -- and some learning experiences, Biddle said.\n"I've learned a lot about business management through this show," she said.\nSophomore Keegan Proudfoot, the properties mistress for the production, said that while inexperience wasn't a big challenge for the ensemble, access to resources was sometimes a problem.\n"It's been fun," she said. "I'm learning a lot about the hierarchy of a theatrical production, your superiors and who you need to go through."\nThe fact that many students are not primarily interested in theater as a career has added to the production, Biddle said.\n"We have an apparel merchandising major doing the costumes, which lends a whole different perspective" to that aspect of the production, she said. "It's added a lot of outside influence and is absolutely an asset to the show."\nThe Union Board fine arts committee's production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" opens at 8 p.m. today at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave. The performances continue at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $11 for the general public, $8 for IU students and $5 for students living in the dorms. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster outlets.